Till Death Do Us Part Complete
by Jenn B
Summary: A stalker is harrasing our two favorite agents...but is there more to this case than meets the eye?


Title: Till Death Do Us Part

Spoilers: Over The Limit, You Only die twice, Odds On a Dead Pigeon

Summary:AU.A stalker is seeking revenge on our favorite agents but is there more to this case than meets the eye?

Timeline:Some undetermined time after Over The Limit but before All the World's.This is my SMK universe so anything can happen although I've tried to follow canon pretty closely. ;) 

Disclaimer: All characters ever mentioned in SMK belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions.The others belong to me.And the plot is mine too. :)

Rating: PG-13 for some violence

Feedback: Yes, yes, yes!Constructive criticism is welcome but be kind this is only my second fic and first SMK fic! ;)scully7491@aol.com 

Archive: Feel free! Just please let me know so I can visit its new home.

Thanks to my wonderful beta Becky! 

Authors Notes

I am still a fairly new fan of the show and have only seen the episodes starting with "Remembrance of Things Past" through the current PAX showings.I got this idea from "Over the Limit" and from various discussions on my newsgroups about the infamous "Leslie" character.I started writing this about a week after "Over the Limit" aired and reached my delighted eyes for the first time. Hopefully this will turn out how I envisioned it and maybe better, lol.Enough chatter and onto the story...Thanks for reading.Please send feedback to scully7491@aol.com.

Chapter One

FLASHBACK 

"How did you know it was me?"a shaken but very relieved Amanda King asked her partner.

"Now who else do I know whose last words would have been 'Oh my gosh', huh?"

With one final look over the edge at what would have been Amanda King's final fall, Lee Stetson and Amanda King share a rare, treasured embrace.If they had only taken the time for one more glance they would have seen a very angry, broken, and bruised Karen Brinkman miraculously rise and limp away from what should have been a fatal plummet.Who knew a pile of old insulation could ever be so handy in a life or death situation?

PRESENT TIME

"You failed to dispose of Lee Stetson again?"a very angry man questioned the brunette woman seated in front of him.His scarred face twisted into a fierce scowl, adding to his already frightening countenance. He brought down an equally scarred hand hard onto the top of the table where he was seated, causing the woman to involuntarily jump. 

"Yes sir, Mr. Dzhugashvili.I had planned to take both him and Amanda King out at the Soviet Embassy party last night.However, she refused my invitation and Lee Stetson cancelled at the last minute.My surveillance of him revealed an interesting turn of events--he went to dinner with Mrs. King instead. I think I may have finally found his weakness, Sir."

"Interesting indeed...who exactly is this King woman?"

"She introduced herself to me as his secretary but my resources revealed documents that suggested otherwise.Apparently, she is part of the agency as well, possibly as his partner; but there is nothing officially stating their relationship, professional or otherwise.I had hoped to grill her for some useful information before disposing of her; but as I said before, she declined my invitation."

"Good work, Leslie.At least you managed to keep Stetson indisposed while I executed the first stages of my plans.And I believe that this Mrs. King may come in handy for us later on.If her relationship with Stetson is what we believe it to be then we can use that against him.You see, Miss Barnes, I not only want to eradicate Lee Stetson, I want to destroy and terrify him.I want him to suffer all the injustices that he caused me to suffer and much, much more."

"Yes Sir, I do understand.And I have an idea on just how to do exactly that."

"Very good. I trust that you will be successful this time, Miss Barnes?I would hate to have to spend more of my talents destroying you as well."

"Of course, Mr. Dzhugashvili.I have been in contact with an old associate of mine who shares your passion, so to speak.He has informed me that there is a very talented woman by the name of Karen Brinkman who will suit your needs perfectly.And the upside is that she is 100% disposable when we are done with her...no added expenses."

A sinister smile is shared between the two as they mentally plot the demise of Lee Stetson.

"That is perfect, Leslie, perfect."

Chapter Two

"Mom, can we hang up the bird house now?"an eager Jamie King asked his mother.

"Sure, fellas, why don't you hang it outside the kitchen window so we can watch them," Amanda King replied.

"Yeah!" the boys chorused.

"Amanda, are you sure it's a good idea to hang that outside the window?What if those poor birds don't know that there's a window there?They'll run right into it!You should have the boys put it in the yard--the back yard," Dotty said.

"Mother, I think that the birds can tell the difference.Besides it will be a nice addition to the scenery.Don't give me that look Mother; the boys are proud of it so I don't care what it looks like.I remember you put my multicolored, lopsided Popsicle house on display when I was about their age so I don't see why this is so different."

"Because dear, the neighbors can see this creation." 

"Hush, they're coming back in," Amanda said, hiding a grin.

"Ok guys, I let you hang up your birdhouse.Now if you don't scoot you're gonna be late for school."

"Yes, Mom."

"Ok, Mom."

As Jamie and Philip "scooted" out of the house Amanda caught sight of an odd-looking car driving slowly up the street.It was the third time she had seen it this morning and something about it was beginning to wear on Amanda's nerves.She moved near the kitchen window to get a piece of paper to write down a description when suddenly a familiar face popped out of the bushes, startling her.Unfortunately the new birdhouse startled Lee as well and even from inside Amanda could hear the crack as the top of his head collided with the wood.Quickly checking to see if her mother was watching she slipped out the back door.

"Oh Lee, are you all right?!"

" I'm fine," Lee Stetson muttered, somewhat sheepishly. " I know you told me that you didn't like me popping out at you, but did you have to booby trap the place?" he said, gesturing to the birdhouse.

Amanda started to snicker at the image in front of her.The suave Agent Stetson, brought down by a makeshift birdhouse.

"And may I ask just what you find so funny?" 

"Oh, nothing.Why are you here this early anyway?"

"I've got a new case I could use your help on.I know you wanted to take the morning off, but this is top priority."

"Sounds important!What is it?"

"Not here.I'll brief you at the Agency.That is, if you can get away?" Lee said while glancing in the window, checking for random Dotty appearances.He was still wary after being caught during Buck's party.If he hadn't had that mask...

"Sure.The boys just left for school and mother just wanted to do some shopping, so..."

"Great.I'll pull around the corner and give you a lift," he said, gracing her with one of lopsided grins as he turned and began walking to the car. There was something about the prospect of spending time with Amanda that always made him want to smile.He wasn't sure what it was but there was something about her... ' Think business Stetson.Just think about the case.You are getting far too dreamy this morning,' he admonished himself silently.

Amanda watched him walk off and with a last glance at the birdhouse hid another impending burst of laughter and rushed inside to get her purse.

Little did they know the people in the momentarily-forgotten mysterious car were closely watching their every action.

Chapter 3 

" Amanda, hold on.I think someone is following us."

" Where?" she said, glancing over at the Corvette's rear view mirror.

" See that gray sedan about two cars back?

" Oh my gosh!Lee, that car was outside of my house this morning!I noticed it when the boys were leaving for school--then you showed up and I forgot all about it."

"What?Okay, we're going to try and lose them."

Lee expertly steered the Corvette around the other cars on the road, narrowly missing a bus that had suddenly stopped along the side of the road. He glanced in the rearview mirror in time to see the sedan also dodge the bus and swerve into the lane next to the Corvette. Both cars were rapidly gaining speed and Amanda was gripping the side of the car so tight that her knuckles were turning white.A hairpin turn into a narrow alley proved too difficult for the larger car and they easily lost their assailants.

" Who do you think that was?"Amanda asked nervously, checking behind them for any reappearance.

" It might have something to do with this new case we're on.They probably followed me over to your house after I left my apartment this morning." ' How could I have missed that?' he thought to himself before looking over at Amanda. 'I must have had other things on my mind,' he deduced, a brief grin lighting up his face as he pulled the car in front of IFF." Come on.I'll tell you more inside."

" Lee, why would they be following you ?Hello, Mrs. Marsden."Amanda and Lee gathered their identification badges and proceeded up the stairs to the Q Bureau.

" I don't know, Amanda.I haven't really gotten enough information yet to make any breaks, at least none that I know of.There have been some threats against the President."

"Threats?"

" He opened up his morning paper yesterday and found a small bomb attached.Fortunately it was a hoax, but something about it just doesn't set right with me.It sounds a little too similar to another case I worked on about 7 years ago," Lee paused to open the door for Amanda.

" This case involved a very cunning, dangerous man, Iosif Dzhugashvili.He was a hit man-turned-terrorist and was successful in killing many very influential men in Russia in the 70s.He made millions of dollars just off of these assassinations.I was assigned to the case when he decided to broaden his horizons to the U.S.We lost a team of agents to him as well as the senator we were assigned to protect before finally cornering him in the chemical laboratory where he had been devising his trademark small, intricate explosive devices.We had to use deadly force to capture him, and in the process he was severely burned by some very potent acid.He was in the hospital for months and then eventually deported back to a Russian jail.I hadn't even given him a second thought until now."

" How long was he supposed to be in jail?" Amanda asked, taking a seat in front of Lee's desk.

" Life.The Russian government was every bit as upset as we were.I've got Francine checking up on him.We have a meeting with her and Billy in 10 minutes." Lee began to pace back and forth behind his desk, lost in his narrative of past events.

" Is it possible that it's someone else? A copycat?"

" It's possible, but his shoes would be very hard to fill.I've never seen a bomb so precise as Dzhugashvili's.I'm having the lab check out the bomb to see how it compares to his others.See, each bomb maker has a set of 'fingerprints', little details that signature their work.It is virtually impossible to make an exact replica because of these details.Even if Dzhugashvili trained someone, there would be slight differences in their methods.Dzhugashvili was a textbook genius; if he had chosen another occupation he might have been listed with some of the great men of today."

"Amazing how fine the line is between greatness and insanity is in today's world."Amanda said.She glanced at her watch." Ooh, Lee, we're gonna be late for that meeting with Mr. Melrose!"

" Right.We better get up there.Maybe they have something new for us."He stopped pacing and opened the "Film Library" door as Amanda quickly got up and hurried out the door.He shook his head in amusement at her eagerness.Before she came along, it had been a while since he had felt that kind of passion for a new case.

"I hope so.Lee, do you really think its possible that Dzhugashvili is out of prison?You made it sound like he would be under pretty heavy guard.I'd hate to think that you could be in danger."Amanda followed Lee into Billy's office where they sat in their usual spots in front of his desk.

"Yeah, well, if we're lucky he's right where he belongs, under lock and key in Moscow.Besides, I don't think he would take the chance of coming after me.If he did escape it's safe to assume he wants to remain a free man," Lee said, with as much conviction as possible.He didn't want Amanda to worry, but he had a feeling that Dzhugashvili's motives would contradict everything he just said.' At least I got her involved early.If past experiences prove anything she would have found out one way or another and just gotten into trouble.This way I can at least keep an eye on her,' He mused. ' Besides she does help me clear my head more often than not.I don't know how she does it, its like she knows what I'm thinking before I think it sometimes,' Lee was so lost in thought that he didn't hear Billy and Francine walk into the office.

" Hello, Lee, Amanda," Billy Melrose greeted them. 

" Hello Sir," Amanda replied with her usual enthusiasm.She didn't want to admit it, but this case was making her nervous for some reason.The possibility that this sinister man could be after Lee gave her the chills.

" Have you found out anything new, Francine?"Lee said, jumping right to the point.

" Actually, yes.The lab report came back on that bomb you sent to be analyzed.Everything compares to the earlier bombs we recovered from his lab years ago.But that's the odd thing.The warden of the prison in Moscow reported Iosif to be in his cell under watchful eyes of the best security agents available. It appears that Dzhugashvili constructed the bomb, but there is no logical explanation as to how it ended up here, at the President's doorstep.All his mail is monitored both by our import agents and the agents stationed in Moscow.If he even tried to send anything suspicious, the transaction would have been interrupted pending further analysis and authorization.And all visitors are thoroughly checked before and after their visits."Francine said.

" So we performed a standard five month check on all visitors that entered the facility and had any contact with Dzhugashvili," Billy said."The only visitors to his section were two UN translators who visited another man two rows over.They had no direct contact with him and their background checks turned up spotless records."

" So either we have Dzhugashvili's twin here, or there is something very odd going on," Lee said.The case was getting more and more puzzling as their information grew.He found himself almost hoping for Dzhugashvili to make contact just so that they would have something more concrete to go on.Little did he know that his wish was about to come true. 

Chapter Four

Amanda King arrived home late and quietly slipped in the front door hoping not to wake up her mother or the boys.She and Lee had spent all day interviewing various people trying to find something that would explain the mysterious threats to the President.So far nothing had been uncovered.She could tell the case was frustrating Lee and she had suggested they call it a night.She let out a long sigh as she sat her purse down on the kitchen table and pulled out a chair to sit on. ' I'm too exhausted to sleep,' she thought to herself. The house was dark and quiet and only the occasional hum the refrigerator broke the silence.

After a few minutes Amanda found herself drifting off at the table so she decided to move upstairs to her bedroom.A much needed hot shower would have to wait until the morning and she made a mental note to get up early so that she could enjoy unlimited hot water before the boys and her mother made short use of it.As she opened her bedroom door she noticed that something wasn't quite right.She flipped on the light next to her bed and surveyed the room.A glint of light caught her eye over by the window and she cautiously made her way over to it.Upon further observation she found it to be a small shard of glass.

She pulled back the curtains and gasped at the sight before her.Her window was shattered, except for a small area left in the frame which had ominous, red letters crudely scrawled on it: "We are watching you."

***********************************************************************

Lee Stetson was aroused from a just- acquired deep sleep by an annoying trilling in his ear.He opened one eye, disoriented, until he woke up enough to realize the offensive sound was being emitted by his telephone.A blurry glance at the clock revealed it was 3:45 AM.With a groan he reluctantly left the warmth of his bed and stumbled over to the phone.

"Stetson here," he mumbled half-coherently into the receiver after the preceding yawn.

" Lee? Its Amanda."

" Amanda? It's 4:00 in the morning.What's wrong?"he said, instantly more alert.He knew that it must be important if Amanda was calling this early, especially since she knew how unsettled he was from this case.

" Lee, someone's been here.Someone broke into my bedroom.There's glass all over the place and there's red paint or something on the..."

" What?! Whoa, whoa, Amanda, slow down.Now, are you all right?" he said, already pulling on the shirt he had previously discarded on the couch.

" Yes, I'm fine.I just checked on Mother and the boys and they are fast asleep."

" Good.Now I want you to double-check all the doors and windows, make sure they are locked.I'll be right over, ok?I'll come in the usual way but I want you to stay put in your room."

" All right.Lee?Do you think it has anything to do with Dzhugashvili?"

" I hope not, Amanda.I'll see you soon."He hung up the phone and rushed out the door.After a quick cursory check of the Corvette he unlocked the door and turned the key in the ignition.It was only then that a small note popped up where the left headlight should have been.Even from the drivers seat Lee could clearly read the red letters facing him and they stopped his heart: "We're watching her."

Chapter Five

Amanda was armed with a baseball bat and sitting in a chair by her bedroom door when a soft knock penetrated the daunting atmosphere.On full alert, Amanda jumped up and positioned herself behind the door just as Lee slowly peeked in the room, his hand on his gun ready to take action. 

"Amanda?" he whispered.

Amanda sighed with relief at the sound of his voice and lowered the poised bat to rest against the wall.

" I'm right here, Lee."

He worriedly glanced up and down her body checking for any indication that she had been harmed.Satisfied, he pulled her into a hug, more to calm his nerves, which at this point were more shaken than hers.No words were needed as he silently projected his every fear and concern the moment he took her in his arms.He couldn't even imagine what he would do without her.He'd never admitted it out loud, but over the past few years Amanda King had become the one thing he had for so long tried to avoid: someone to love.'I wonder why it is that we only truly come to realize how much someone means to us when it seems we may lose them.'He mused.He slowly released her from his protective embrace and forced himself to think like an agent once again.

" You said a window was broken?" He knew that getting down to business would help Amanda as well.

" Over here," she guided him over to the window, carefully avoiding the jagged, red tipped pieces of glass jutting up from the carpet.He pulled back the curtains just as Amanda had done earlier and suppressed a shudder at the all too familiar words he saw painted onto the glass.After an internal debate he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the scrap of paper that had been left on his car and slowly handed it over to Amanda.A gasp was her only reply and he immediately felt his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach for the second time that night. ' It's all my fault' he thought. ' This has Iosif Dzhugashvili written all over it and I've led him to her!'

" Is it him?" she quietly asked, not really wanting to know the answer.After all she had learned about this crazed killer today it seemed inconceivable that she was now that same assassin's target. 

" I think it is. To be safe I want you to put your family in a hotel and I want you secured with us.I'm not going to take any chances where Dzhugashvili is involved and I don't want you to either."

Amanda nodded.She had learned not to argue with Lee when he was in this mood because usually it was justified.Now all she had to do was think of a good excuse to get her family out of the house.She ushered Lee out of her bedroom and with him standing guard at the door began to pack a suitcase.

***********************************************************************

" Yes mother, I entered the contest the other day at the supermarket.The prize was a free stay in the Arlington Hilton for three."

" But Amanda, I don't want to stay in a hotel, I'm perfectly fine here," Dotty replied.

" Oh, but mother, I don't want to be rude.And after all it's not everyday that you win a contest, Mother, the odds are very low," on the other end of the line Amanda King was biting her lower lip and silently pleading that her mother would make this easy for her and accept the "free" vacation courtesy of IFF." You know I would take the boys myself but IFF needs me for a last minute assignment and I'm afraid I really can't leave now," she winced at the use of the old excuse.She really hated to lie to her mother and the boys but what was she supposed to tell them?That a homicidal maniac with a taste for vengeance was stalking her?

" I know dear, IFF always needs you. Where exactly are you anyway?I woke up this morning to find a note where my daughter should have been.I hope they appreciate your time, Amanda...All right. I'll take the vacation.I guess everyone could use a little change of scenery now and then.Oh, Amanda?How long should we pack for?"

Amanda's eyes widened at the thought.It took Lee five months before he finally caught Iosif the first time.She couldn't tell her mother she'd won a five-month stay at a hotel.With three people at $169.00 dollars a night the agency couldn't foot the bill either." They said up to a week, Mother.How about you stay until I get back?"

" And how long will that be, Amanda?"

" I'm not sure mother, it all depends on the scheduling here.You know film people."

" Ok, I guess we'll see you then."

" Goodbye mother, I love you."

" I love you too Amanda."

With a sigh Amanda hung up the hotel phone and leaned back against the bed.Lee had taken her to an Agency safe house outside of Washington.The rooms were small but "inconspicuous' as Lee had earlier put it.Her partner occupied the adjoining room and the door dividing the two was left open while she placed the call to her mother. She could faintly hear Lee briefing Billy on the situation.

She rose and looked out the window at the ground below.Eight stories beneath them undercover agency guards patrolled the perimeter.Glancing over her shoulder she could see Lee in his room pacing with a file in hand and the phone tucked under his chin.Every so often the cord would limit his path and he would unconsciously turn around and repeat the pattern.In a different situation the effect would have been almost comical.She crossed back away from the window and sat on the small loveseat located next to the dresser.Allowing her mind to wander away from the day's tension she didn't notice when Lee finally appeared at the door.

Lee took this rare moment to observe his partner more closely.What he saw worried him.Her usual optimistic demeanor seemed to have faded into the background and the apprehension was evident in her eyes.' It wasn't supposed to be you, Amanda.Never you.' He thought to himself.Once again he had failed to protect her.He knew that she would never blame him for anything but that didn't stop him for blaming himself.He hated to feel so out of control and Dzhugashvili knew it.That was probably why he was doing exactly this.'Expect the unexpected' Lee mused, not realizing he had voiced this aloud.

"Hmm?" Amanda said, slowly coming back to reality.

A puzzled Lee quickly recovered by changing the subject." Why don't you try to get some sleep.There's nothing more we can do right now and you never did get any rest last night."

" I guess I should at least try.I'm no good to anyone if I'm a zombie."

Lee smiled a gentle smile and placed a hand at the small of her back as she made her way over to the bed.He turned down the covers for her and kissed her hand before slipping out and closing the connecting door halfway to give her some privacy.

Chapter six

"It's only been three weeks, Billy, we can't send her home yet!"Lee shouted.After weeks of waiting in the cramped hotel for Dzhugashvili to make a move, nothing happened.Amanda's mother had relocated back to the house after a week and Amanda herself was getting restless.But Lee couldn't take the chance that this wasn't over.

" We'll have a 24 -hour surveillance team on the house, it will be perfectly safe and at least Amanda can return to her normal duties.You know she doesn't like to be cooped up, Scarecrow."

" Yeah, I know," Lee grudgingly said." But you don't know this guy like I do, Billy.She doesn't know this guy.Half the reports she read were downplayed.He killed our men, he won't hesitate to kill her if the chance presents itself!"

" I know Lee, but we need you out in the field looking for Dzhugashvili and she needs to be at home with her family.He hasn't made a move; maybe he's given up.Maybe this was all a distraction, did you ever think of that?We don't even know if it is him.All the reports from Moscow say that he is locked up tight exactly where he should be." 

Lee sighed and ran his fingers through his already abnormally mussed hair.He'd gone over virtually every possibility repeatedly.But the one that seemed to stick was the thought of losing Amanda because this guy was after him.And that was the one solution that Lee couldn't ignore.

" Okay.But if anything, anything strange happens I want her back in a safe house.You've got to promise me that ,Billy."

Billy nodded his head in agreement.It was hard to rein in the younger agent when he was just as concerned.Amanda had proved herself to be a good contact, and a good friend over the years and she didn't deserve this.But as the man in charge he had to take the most logical path, and that meant sending Amanda home.

" I'll go tell her then." Lee said, glancing out at the bullpen where Amanda was eagerly awaiting news.Lee took a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face as he walked out of Billy's office.

" Well?" Amanda asked.

" Well, you can go home." A genuine grin spread across his face at the excited expression that spread over her.

" Oh, Lee that's great.I miss the boys and I miss mother.Its time,"she said, trying to reassure him.She could see in his eyes the lingering worry and knew that he wouldn't rest until Dzhugashvili was far away from her.

" Yeah, I know. I know.But I want you to be careful, Amanda.Anything unusual happens and I want you to call me or Billy immediately, understand?"

" I will. Lee?Thanks," she said with a quick squeeze of his arm.

" Thank Billy, Amanda.If it were up to me you'd still be in that hotel room under guard."He gave her a small grin to take the harshness out of his statement." Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

***********************************************************************

" Everything is going as planned, Sir.Our informant has assured us that security surrounding Amanda King has been decreased; just like you said it would be.We are prepared to make our next advance."

" Good, Miss Barnes.You have done well.What is your next plan?" Iosif queried.

" I would like you to meet an associate of mine," Leslie gestured to the man guarding the office doors and he opened them.A brunette woman walked in, a slight limp hindering her otherwise smooth gait.She was tall, about 5'7" and had an evil glint in her familiar brown eyes.

" Amanda King is your associate! Please explain, Leslie, quickly."

" If she can fool you sir, she can fool anyone.This is Karen Brinkman, a mere surgical replica of our Mrs. King.Sir, she has fooled Lee Stetson once before.I think that she will suit your purposes quite well."

"Brilliant.This ties in quite nicely with the scam I pulled in Moscow.I like how you think, Miss Barnes," Dzhugashvili said with a sinister laugh 

" Thank you.With your permission I will proceed?"

" Of course."

***********************************************************************

"Philip, Jamie!Breakfast is ready!" Amanda King hollered up the stairs.Soon the two rambunctious boys barreled down the stairs and placed themselves at the table.

" Oh boy, pancakes!"Jamie shouted.

" And hot chocolate!"Philip added.

" With marshmallows!" all three chorused.

" Hurry up and eat guys, your Aunt Edna is picking you up in an hour.Tell your grandmother when she gets back from Mrs. Gilbert's that I had some errands to run and that I'll be back soon."Amanda kissed the tops of their heads before heading out the door to the station wagon.

She was glad that her life had returned to normal, or at least as normal as possible for a suburban spy.It had been close to a month without any activity and weekly reports from Moscow confirmed that all was in order.The guards had been lifted from her house and even Lee seemed a little more at ease.She started the car and double- checked her grocery list before returning it to her purse and backing out of the driveway.She had been given the day off to recuperate from the recent stresses and she planned to finally get all those little things done that had been set aside.Her planning absorbed her attention and she didn't notice the all too familiar gray sedan pull into her driveway in the spot she had just vacated.

***********************************************************************

" Lee, Francine.I need you in my office. NOW,"Billy said.Lee and Francine shared a bewildered look.

" Something must be up," Francine offered as an explanation for their boss's mood.

" Yeah,"Lee replied, dreading what only could be bad news.He held the door for Francine and they assumed positions in front of Billy's desk." What's up, Billy?"

" I've just received a report from one of our agents stationed in Moscow.He'd heard of all the recent confusion over the Dzhugashvili matter and decided to run a little check of his own since he was close.Apparently, Iosif pulled a fast one on all of us."

" Wait, wait.Dzhugashvili?I thought that was all cleared up," Francine said.

" What is it, Billy?"Lee said.They couldn't have made a mistake, they just couldn't have.After all their precautions a slip up seemed impossible.

" Dzhugashvili escaped the Moscow prison three months ago.Somehow a double was jailed while the real Iosif slipped out the front door unnoticed.When our agent requested an interrogation he discovered that this man was a close copy, but definitely not the original.We don't have a pinpoint on his location as of yet, but it is safe to assume that he is in the United States.We have our tactical team working on it right now." 

"Amanda," Scarecrow said, swallowing hard

" Exactly. I want you to contact her and get her down here as soon as possible.This is a level 5-security crisis.Francine, I want you to dig up anything you can on all possible leads."

Lee rushed out of the office and was down to his Corvette in record time.He simultaneously managed to peel out of his parking space and dial Amanda's home number on the car phone." Come on."He said when there was no answer.Finally the phone picked up." Amanda?!" There was no answer. " Amanda, answer me!"A resounding click echoed through his ears as the silence was replaced by a dial tone.

Chapter 7

Amanda King had just entered the grocery store when she realized she had forgotten her checkbook.She closed her eyes and sighed, hurrying back to her car.As she neared her house, a gray sedan came racing out of her driveway, nearly forcing her into her neighbor's car.Her eyes widened as she recognized the vehicle.She parked the car on the side of the street and cautiously approached her back door.As she came closer she noticed it had been opened, the lock scratched by the intruder's forced entrance.She eased the door open and peered inside the kitchen.It seemed to be abandoned.A quick glance at the chalkboard eased her mind a little. Aunt Edna had arrived early to pick up the boys and her mother had not yet returned from her visit with Mrs. Gilbert.

The living room was in a state of disarray, as was the dining room and the upstairs bedrooms.It was hopeless to try and inventory her belongings by herself and she needed to call Lee and tell him what happened.Now if only she could find the telephone.As if on cue, the muffled trill of the phone could be heard and after a few attempts she located it under a pile of newspapers and books torn from the shelves in the living room.She hurried to answer it and Lee's worried voice called to her on the other line.

"Amanda?Are you ok? I've been trying to call you and no one answered."

" I'm fine, but my house isn't.They've been here again Lee."

" I know, Amanda-- Dzhugashvili is out there somewhere.I'm on my way over, we'll secure the house.Where are your mother and the boys?"

" The boys are at Aunt Edna's, they can stay there for a while, and my mother is visiting a friend of hers."

" Good.I'm about a block away now.Make sure everyone stays out of the house until I get there and try not to move too much around, ok?I want to try and get some prints."

"Uh hmm," Amanda said, distracted.A beeping noise was coming from somewhere near her and it was getting louder and louder by the minute.She glanced around the room, answering Lee's instructions with the occasional affirmative response, only half listening.Finally a red flash caught her eye and she shook her head in amusement.'It must be one of the boy's toys,' she thought.Stretching the phone as far as it would reach she leaned over and removed the flashing object from the debris surrounding it.But what she saw was not a harmless toy but a panel of flashing red numbers counting down with 30 seconds to spare.

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped into the phone before throwing it towards the front door and rushing away to the back door just as a tremendous blast rocked the house.

Chapter Eight

" Amanda!? AMANDA! What's wrong?"Lee shouted into the phone.He accelerated the Corvette and arrived just in time to see and hear the tremendous blast. 'No,' he thought to himself. ' There's no way she could have made it out in time.'He slowly got out of the car in a state of shock and jogged towards the house, ignoring the neighbors sporadically appearing in their front yards to gawk.He swallowed hard against the lump forming in his throat as he viewed the devastation that once was Amanda's living room.Shielding his face with his arm he pushed through what was left of the front door and into the smoke filled house.A few flames lingered and Lee carefully avoided these areas.

"Amanda?"He called softly, hope still clinging to his damaged psyche.He found his eyes filling with tears, tears that could not be attributed to the smoke and fragments floating in the air.Without thinking he sat down on the couch that had somehow miraculously avoided the majority of the blast.Sirens could be heard in the distance gaining volume as they grew closer to the site.It wasn't until Lee slowly closed his eyes and blocked out all other sounds that he heard a soft groan from somewhere behind him.His eyes flew open and darted around hoping to find some evidence that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him.

After an agonizing period of silence a rustle behind the couch followed another groan.Lee leaped up and walked behind the couch a smile lighting up his face when he saw the best sight he could have ever hoped to see:Amanda sitting in a pile of books and other paraphernalia, bruised and scraped but alive.She blinked and looked up at him, a bewildered expression on her face as she surveyed her surroundings.He reached down to help her up just as a group of police officers and firemen wielding fire extinguishers pushed their way into the wreckage.Lee flashed his badge and told them that it was a federal matter before ushering Amanda out of the house.He wanted this to be taken care of by people he could trust.

" Are you okay?" he asked the still-quiet Amanda.His brow wrinkled in concern when she hesitated to reply.

" I'm a little dazed, but I don't think anything's broken," she finally said, offering a shaky smile.

"Oh," Lee sighed, relieved as he brought her in for a hug." When I saw that explosion I thought..." his voice cracked as his mind replayed the near-tragedy before his eyes.He gripped her tighter in his arms and settled his chin on the top of her head.

"I'm okay," she whispered as if she could read his thoughts." There wasn't a blue wire," she added, trying to lighten the mood.Lee just gave her one of his trademark looks and tilted his head.

" Hey, I want our doctors to check you out anyway huh?"he said, jumping into agent mode again. " Okay?" he pressed, sensing her reluctance."For my peace of mind?"Lee said with a mischievous grin. He knew that that would get her to cooperate; it had worked before after all.

Reluctantly she nodded and accepted the proffered hand as she climbed into Lee's car.Lee got in as well and called Billy to explain what had happened and to order some agents down to handle the situation.He hung up and with a brief, comforting smile at Amanda drove off.

***********************************************************************

"I thought that you were more competent than this, Miss Barnes.You should have planned for every eventuality."

"Yes, sir.I'm afraid the men we hired were not adequate for the job.They were told to make sure that Mrs. King was not in the house before setting the bomb.Apparently she returned for something and barely missed their hasty escape.Next time I will handle the matter myself, Sir."Leslie said to her superior, eyes downcast in an attempt to appear remorseful for her error.

" At least they were not caught.You can thank that for your life Miss Barnes.I have not come this far to let a simple mistake hinder my plans.I have orchestrated this operation from the very beginning--you are merely a tool.Do not forget that, Leslie.I can always find someone else to do the simple work for me.You are very lucky I am fond of you and your cunning manner of thinking."

"Yes, sir."

"It is fortunate that this incident worked in our favor.Our planted cameras recorded Lee Stetson's marvelous knight in shining armor performance.Quite gallant, wouldn't you agree?"

" Yes, sir.Our inside sources say that he had obtained the knowledge of our escapade in Moscow.He was quite frantic."

"Very, good.I think it is time to execute the usefulness of our Miss Brinkman.Involve her in the next scare tactic.I want her assured of her position with us.If she suspects anything of our plans for her she will disappear--and that would be a definite nuisance."

" Yes, sir.Of course."

***********************************************************************

"Our tests have turned up no more that a few bruises and lacerations, Mrs. King.You were extraordinarily lucky." Dr. Davalos said.

" So I can leave?"Amanda asked eagerly, ignoring the look Lee was giving her.

" You're free to go.My only advice is to take it easy, you will most likely be quite sore in the morning."He shook both of their hands and followed them out of the exam room.Lee unconsciously reached for Amanda's hand as they walked out to the parking lot.As usual he opened her door for her and they proceeded to return to the agency.Lee couldn't help but notice Amanda's melancholy mood on the drive over and he searched for a way to reassure her.

" I talked to Francine while the doctor was examining you.She impersonated an inspector and told your mother that the blast was due to a faulty gas heater.We worked it out with your insurance company to put your family in a hotel until the damages are repaired," Lee cocked his head at Amanda's noncommittal response.

He bit his lip and tried again. " I want you to stay with me."He gave Amanda a sideways glance, attempting to keep both the road and his partner under close observation.What he saw warmed his heart. A slow smile spread across Amanda's face, both in amusement at his choice of phrasing and in surprise.She had counted on Lee sending her back to the "inconspicuous" quarters they had occupied only weeks earlier. "Until this is settled," he added, a sly grin occupying his face as well.

"Oh, Lee.Thank you.I really didn't want to go back to that safe house." 

" I know." He said softly, a grimace replacing the grin.' I've got to figure this out before she has to go through something else.It's enough that she has to be away from her sons and mother again, all because of me.'

" Lee?It's not your fault you know," Amanda said.She could tell from his expression what was going through his mind and she didn't want him to torture himself over something he had no control over." He's a sick man, that's all."

Lee managed a halfhearted agreement before his mind wandered back to the case again, filling the car with silence once more.His fingers drummed on the steering wheel as he tried to figure out a new angle to try and crack the case open.

Amanda's mind wandered as well. ' If mother hasn't figured out that something is up by now, she never will.And the boys have to be suspicious,' she thought to herself ' Mother has already convinced herself that I'm having this torrid affair with someone at work.And in a way you are, aren't you Amanda King?' a little voice inside her head questioned as she stole a glance over at her oblivious partner.'Who would have thought that I would meet this wonderful man, a spy for a covert U.S. government agency, and that he would completely turn my life around?' she mused.She had never looked at a train station the same since that fateful day in October when Lee literally swept her away. 

Her mind flashed back to the last time she was in Lee's apartment.She had surprised herself with the intense feelings of jealousy and anger when Leslie O'Connor appeared.Sure, she hadn't been to Moscow or even seen half the things a translator would see...Amanda's train of thought paused as she wondered just why this information seemed important.A woman, Moscow, a translator...

" That's it!"she shouted excitedly, startling Lee out of his reverie.

" What?"Lee responded, confused by her sudden outburst.

" Billy said that the visitors to Iosif Dzhugashvili were translators, right? A woman and a man?"

" Yeah, but..."

" So, who do we know who is a translator who just happens to have frequently been to Moscow recently?"

Lee stared at her, completely lost.And then it hit him. " Leslie."

"Right," Amanda said triumphant. " That must have been why she was so curious about you."

" And that's how Dzhugashvili knows about you!But you told her you were my secretary so how would she know... Oh my god.There must be a leak at the agency.He knew when you were returning home and exactly when we let up security around you."

" But Lee, who would have known all of that?I thought that only you, Francine, and Billy were aware of the whole operation."

"Yeah, we are."Lee said fear spreading through his body.If someone at the agency was able to find out everything about this operation, then they had never really been safe in the first place.And that meant that Dzhugashvili was messing with his mind. ' But that would be okay, wouldn't it, Scarecrow.It's when he started messing with someone else that it gets personal,' Lee thought, his eyes widening as Dzhugashvili's true motives fell into place. ' He's trying to torture me through Amanda.' 

Chapter 9

Lee pulled up to the agency with this disturbing thought plaguing his senses." Um, we've got to let Billy know.Maybe he and Francine can get a location on Leslie,"he said, ushering her out of the car and into the building.Mrs. Marsden gave the pair a bewildered look as they made record time checking in with her before they rushed to the elevator.Lee angrily shoved a jacket out of his way and the clunk as it hit the other side of the wall echoed through the tiny chamber.

Amanda nervously tapped her foot on the floor in a rhythmical pattern; the short ride seemed to be taking forever today.Finally they reached their destination and before the doors could shut behind them Lee and Amanda were off again.They hurried into the bullpen and past a frenzied Francine who was buried in files and folders.Seeing an excuse for a much-needed break, Francine vacated her workstation and followed behind Amanda into Billy's office.Billy was seated at his desk arguing with someone on the other end of the phone.He held up a finger to signal the trio to have a seat, never once breaking his concentration.He hung up the phone with a loud clunk as it hit the base.

" That was the lab.They just received the test results on the remnants of the bomb in your house, Amanda.It's a match to the one the President received, except this one was armed.Now we all know who planted it there--my question is why?We still don't know why they are after Amanda,"Billy said, intertwining his fingers and folding his hands on top of his desk, knocking a pencil astray in the process.

" Dzhugashvili shouldn't even know of her connections with the agency.We sealed her files under a code yellow priority, that means no access to anyone except the people in this office," Francine said glancing at the stray pencil as it rolled underneath Billy's desk and out the far side in front of Amanda's chair.

"We know how," Lee said finally getting a word in. " Amanda made the connection,"he sighed, knowing that Francine would never let him live down what he was about to tell her. " About a month ago I met a Leslie O'Connor while on assignment at an UN embassy party.I uh...asked her out.Now as far as we can tell," he said glancing over at Amanda " Leslie is the connection.She met Amanda at my apartment and although we gave her a cover story she could have checked up on it."

"And this was before Amanda's files were under high security.With the right connections they would be fairly easy to access,"Billy said," But I don't see how this woman fits in."

" Sir," Amanda said, picking up the stray pencil and proceeding to juggle it in her hands. " Leslie mentioned to me that she is a translator.And that she had been to Moscow," she said, breaking off when the eraser popped off the end of the pencil.

" Yeah," Lee began where she left off. " Billy, you said earlier that the only visits to the prison had been two translators with spotless records.Well, I think that maybe at least one of them didn't have such a spotless record after all, and that one is Leslie O'Connor.Francine, how easy would it be to forge papers for a translator?"

Francine shrugged and raised her eyebrows. " I would assume with a computer it would be doable.You don't think..." she said before Lee cut her off.

" I think that my meeting Leslie at that party was no accident.Dzhugashvili's been out of prison for at least three months; that's more than enough time to set up something like this.It was just coincidence that Leslie ran into Amanda," he glanced down, preparing himself for the inevitable shock that would be the effect of his next statement. " Dzhugashvili wants revenge, and he is using Amanda to get just that."

"Lee?" Amanda said, still preoccupied with the pencil.

"Yeah?" he replied, expecting the worst.He hated to tell her that once again her association with the agency had put a threat on her life, but it was impossible to keep her in the dark.

" Look," she answered, handing him the damaged pencil with the eraser side facing up.

"What?" He couldn't figure out why she would want him to look at a pencil at a time like this.He glanced down expecting to see wood and instead wires met his eye.He brought the pencil closer and discovered that it was hollowed out, all but the tip of lead replaced by an intricate system of wires and minute microphones." Oh no," he said.

" You were right," Amanda said quietly.

Lee put a finger to his lips silencing the impending questions from Billy and Francine.He glanced around for something useful and settled on Billy's decanter of water sitting on a side table.He opened the lid and deposited the pencil, watching it sink to the bottom before replacing the lid and finally speaking." We have a leak at the agency."

Billy and Francine shared a glance and Billy leaned over to get a closer look at their enemy, a tiny bug that had been recording every bit of information previously discussed in the office.

***********************************************************************

Meanwhile Leslie Barnes/ O'Connor was busy delivering the latest piece of information to Iosif Dzhugashvili.

" So they have discovered us," Dzhugashvili said, his hands steepled under his chin in a thoughtful manner.He slowly swiveled his oversized armchair around away from the window." Lee Stetson's worst nightmare is coming true right before his eyes.We have infiltrated his beloved agency and we have reins on that which, apparently, is most precious to him--Amanda King. Have they discovered the bug planted in Mr. Stetson's car?"

" No Sir, not yet.I predict it won't be long before they do after finding the one in Mr. Melrose's office.His apartment will probably be swept as well."

"No matter.They have extended their usefulness to us anyway.Our contact can inform us of any important proceedings from now on.Paranoia is approaching fast for Mr. Stetson now.He will probably keep Mrs. King under his own watchful eye.Is everything ready for the next stage?"

" Miss Brinkman is setting up the facility as we speak.I've also had your men, per your orders, set a small surprise in Stetson's apartment.We are one step ahead of him.When he arrives with Mrs. King in tow he will have the scare of a lifetime, Sir."

" Very nice.We must keep the element of surprise on our side if we wish to be successful, Miss Barnes."

"Of course," she nodded and backed out of the room through the great double doors guarding the office entrance.As the doors shut behind her an sadistic smile spread over her features as she thought ' Mrs. King will get more than she deserves for taking you away from me, Lee.I would have abandoned the old man for you but you chose her instead.Next time you won't be around to make the same mistake; neither of you will."

Chapter 10

Amanda, Lee, Billy, and Francine were all huddled around a small observation window in the lab.The technician inside was carefully disassembling the pencil/ bug and examining its contents.The tiny components were in themselves extremely experimental technology; probably stolen from a top-secret military lab and customized by Dzhugashvili.

But Lee's mind wasn't on the listening device.He periodically glanced over at Amanda, trying to gage her emotions at this new discovery.He knew it had to be frustrating--not to mention terrifying--to know that a madman seemingly knew your every word and action.So far her face remained uncharacteristically blank, which worried Lee even more.He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it firmly for reassurance.She gave him a nervous smile and returned his grasp.

" He probably had one of these in my house," she said quietly, her eyes automatically adverting from the device laid out before them. 

" Yeah," Lee returned, a grimace distorting his handsome features.An uncontrollable guilt filled his soul and he too let his eyes wander to the carpet.His only comfort was the radiating heat in his hand where Amanda's own still held on and kept him from falling into the abyss.He could practically feel Francine's speculating eyes burrowing into the back of his head but at the moment nothing else seemed to really matter except finding a way to protect Amanda.He knew that if she were really capable of reading his thoughts he would get an earful for that one.Even though Amanda was perfectly capable of getting out of tight situations, this one was suffocating.And he vowed never to lose anyone he loved again, not like this.

" Lee," Billy said, interrupting his self torment for the time being.He took him aside, away from Amanda's earshot." I want you to take Amanda to your apartment and keep a close eye on her.I've already had some of our most trusted guys sweep the place and they'll get rid of anything hazardous.I'll check in with you every hour.I don't want anyone else involved until we know who that leak is."

Lee nodded in agreement.He wasn't planning on letting her out of his sight until this was settled once and for all.

***********************************************************************

" Karen, our double agent Sam has just given us a detailed description of Mrs. King's attire.I've sent the written account by courier to your location.Are you ready to begin?"Leslie asked the person on the other end of the line.

" He's just arrived here.I'll go change and meet you at the planned point,"Karen Brinkman responded before hanging up the phone.

A triumphant Leslie Barnes returned the phone to the night table in front of her and exchanged it for a vial of liquid and hypodermic needle.The ominously opaque liquid sloshed as it was placed into her purse along with the large needle.Next in place was a .35 pistol.In the chamber were only two bullets.One was for an emergency and would probably not be needed.A large butcher knife was added after some thought.She had been trained well.

She moved over to a large mirror hanging above a rustic wooden dresser covered with various foreign objects ranging from chemical containers to gun cleaning equipment to perfume.She admired her collective appearance and brushed an invisible strand of hair back into place with a dark gloved hand.Satisfied, she picked up a key ring marked "Arlington Hilton Rm. 44" and headed for the door of her hotel room.Mr. Dzhugashvili had insisted she choose a room on the fourth floor of the Hilton to keep an eye on King's family.Personally she thought he just liked to play mind games with his victims, a pastime she was coming to enjoy as well. 

' This just might be fun,' she mused as she shut and locked the door behind her.Her inconspicuous black pantsuit wouldn't alert anyone to her plans but would suit her requirements perfectly.She had chosen low-heeled pumps to add an extra effect to her overall appearance. ' I have to look good when I see Lee for the final time,' she had told herself while shopping the previous morning.

She strode confidently down the red-carpeted hallway, a gleam of anticipation making her eyes sparkle and her lips curve in a roguish grin.Her purse was clutched tightly at her side, the only misplaced characteristic about her.She pushed the down on the elevator panel and watched as the numbers slowly rose and stopped at the fourth floor.Stepping onto the elevator, she brushed past a blonde woman getting off and pressed the number one, never glancing back as the doors whisked shut with a click.

" Come on."Lee said to Amanda.Since they had left the agency she hadn't relented her grasp on his hand.'She's scared,' Lee thought to himself. ' And she has every right to be,' he mentally added.He was beginning to grow uneasy himself.He had a gut feeling that Dzhugashvili was escalating and that didn't fare well for Amanda or the agency.Until they found the leak they were on their own and the manpower required to bring him down would have to consist of more than three agents and one civilian auxiliary.

As they approached his door the feeling intensified as he saw the door opened a crack.He drew his weapon and pulled a startled Amanda behind him.Anger boiled up through his system and he crashed through the front door with excessive force.He scanned the room and placed his sights on a moving object on the opposite side of the room.The shocked man turned around slowly revealing his face.Glasses were precariously perched on a oversized nose and a loud plaid bow tie stood out from a wrinkled white shirt that peeked out from behind a brown suit that seemed two sizes too small for the man's lean figure.Hardly assassin material.

"Sam," Lee said, relieved.He pulled his gun down and with shaking hands forced it back into its holster.He retrieved Amanda from the hall where she was still crouched behind the potted plant waiting for his signal.

" Amanda, it's okay.False alarm.This is Sam Macht, one of our equipment techs,"Lee then turned to the still shaken man and gave him a reassuring smile."Sorry about that, Sam.I thought you'd have cleared out by now.Did you find anything interesting?"

" Geez, Lee, next time give a little warning!"Sam's squeaky voice was a perfect stereotypical match to his attire and appearance." Actually, I've found several interesting things.Five listening devices altogether, all hidden in inconspicuous places and items.My favorite was the one in your shaving cream can," 

Lee raised his eyebrow in question, prompting a response from the little man."Someone switched your original can with a replica with a false bottom.The device was slightly larger than the one in Mr. Melrose's office, probably so it could pick up more without interference from outside noises,"he said enthusiastically, turning to dig in a dark leather bag sitting on the table behind him.

Amanda's senses perked up at that statement.She had been sure that no one else had been informed about the device in the pencil except the outside military expert brought in to disassemble it.Then again, if this man was trusted to examine Lee's apartment then perhaps he was informed to look for similar devices.Her instincts told her not to trust the man but Lee seemed comfortable with him. ' You're just getting paranoid,' she told herself.

She surveyed the apartment, which despite its having been recently disassembled in the search for listening devices was remarkably neat.And that was when she noticed it--sticking out of the black bag Sam was rummaging in was the barely perceptible barrel of a gun.She quickly forced her gaze elsewhere when Sam turned around.When she glanced back again the gun was once again hidden among the equipment. 

" Lee?Can I talk to you for a minute?" she said, her voice trembling on the last syllable.She grabbed his arm and led him into his bedroom before he could protest.

" Amanda?" Lee said, astonished at her sudden forcefulness as she dragged him along.She shut the doors behind her and turned to face with him, a terrified look in her eyes." Hey," he said, concerned, closing the gap between them in two short strides. " What's wrong?"

" Lee, do lab technicians usually carry guns?" she asked, fearing the answer she somehow knew was coming.

" No.Only field agents are licensed by the agency to carry weaponry.Why?"

" Because I saw a gun sticking out of that bag Sam was going through just a minute ago."

Lee gave her a startled look. 'A gun?Either she's more scared than I thought or there's something odd going on here,' he thought to himself." Amanda, that doesn't make sense.I don't think that Sam would even know how to hold a gun correctly, let alone fire one,"he said out loud.

" I know it doesn't make any sense.That's why I asked you.And I thought that no one else knew about the pencil we found in Mr. Melrose's office either," she returned.

The expression on Lee's face completely changed from disbelief to terror as the implications of her statement set in.Billy had specifically told him that no one else was to have knowledge of the details until the leak was found.He gazed into Amanda's eyes, which reflected the same panic, and mentally began planning a course of action. ' It's only one guy.I shouldn't need any backup if we catch him off guard,' Lee mused.

Meanwhile, a very aware Sam Macht was listening to their soft words drift through the thin barrier separating the bedroom from the living room.He pulled a black, rectangular shaped device out of his coat pocket and depressed the circular red button placed in the middle.

An inaudible alarm sounded and a group of men and two women silently arranged themselves around the perimeter of the room.One woman signaled the rest to be prepared as scuffling could be heard in the inner room.A muffled male voice could barely be heard saying, " Stay here".Sam flicked the light switch near him, plunging the room into almost complete darkness; the only light leaking out from the bedroom doors.He reached into his bag and swiftly pulled out the previously concealed firearm and a click echoed through the room as he slowly cocked it.He positioned himself next to the window where he would serve as a distraction when Lee first made an appearance.

After waiting for what seemed like forever to the assassins' adrenaline-pumped bodies, soft footsteps neared the door and a shadow became visible at the same moment the doorknob slowly began rotating.Lee crept out, gun poised ahead of him ready to defend against any enemy.He spotted Sam across from him and aimed as best as possible in the dark.Just as he was ready to try and force his target into submission something hit him from behind.The last thing he heard was the sound of glass breaking on impact before all went black.

***********************************************************************

Lee slowly rose out of the pit of darkness that consumed him as he regained consciousness.Awareness was slower to follow.He recognized the carpeting below him as his living room floor and he slowly attempted to push himself up off of his stomach.His head pounded with each movement and an unbearable wave of nausea forced him to stop.

After several minutes of effort he finally was able to crawl over to his couch and hoist himself halfway up. When he at last maneuvered into a sitting position, he held his aching head in his hands and stayed as still as possible. A wet sticky, substance coated his hands and he looked down to find them slashed, slivers of glass still clinging to the open wounds.He gingerly prodded the back of his skull and discovered a large, rapidly swelling gash.He struggled to keep his eyes open.There was something nagging at the back of his muddled mind and he had yet to place his finger on it.

All of a sudden the memories of the past few day came flooding back as if a switch was triggered and his pain was momentarily forgotten."Amanda," he groaned softly, the small action striking him with another bout of fatigue.He forced himself into a standing position even as the room began to spin around him.

Finally his vision cleared and he carefully turned his head, scanning the room for any sign of his partner. " Amanda!" he called, louder this time.His ears were met with silence.He staggered into the bedroom.The doors were wide open, one barely hanging by its top hinges.The shaded windows provided no outside light and he felt the wall beside him for the light switch.The piercing light harshly invaded his senses and he had to lean against the wall as darkness threatened to once again consume him.

Once he was supported he opened his eyes and looked at the bed in front of him. He was forced to his knees by a mixture of shock, horror, and disbelief at what he saw.Amanda was sprawled across his bed; her bloodied and mangled body showing no signs of movement.

Chapter 11

Lee was paralyzed from the shock.He could do nothing but blankly stare at the gruesome scene before him, and all he wanted to do was look away.Finally in a daze he shakily stood and staggered over to Amanda.He gripped her lifeless hand in his and willed her to move, to speak, anything.Her wrist offered no pulse." NO!Amanda, wake up.You're gonna be okay," he slurred, both pain and tears restricting his voice.He reached over to his nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out a small device that bore the agency insignia.The movement caused another wave of dizziness, and as his body surrendered to the welcoming darkness he flipped the switch.

***********************************************************************

Francine and Billy were buried in old case files and paperwork in Billy's office.The desk was hidden underneath a potpourri of less than organized stacks and Billy was desperately searching for something when a small red light began flashing on the far wall, an alarm accompanying it.Billy and Francine's heads simultaneously snapped up at the sudden alert, glancing at each other with worry.The alarm was a last resort tactic given to all high priority agents.There were strict instructions only to activate the device in a life or death situation.The pair feared the worst and Billy knew that when he traced the identification code attached to the alert, Lee Stetson's name would pop up.

Acting as one, Billy deactivated the alarm while Francine sprang into action.Following protocol she called their backup team of paramedics and notified security of a possible national security threat.Then she followed Billy down to the motor pool her high heels clicking rapidly on the ground below her.They got in the car and fastened their seat belts in record time.

" You don't think..." she asked Billy, her blue eyes wide.

" I don't know what to think, Francine.I'm not sure I want to.Our priority is to get over to Lee's apartment as soon as possible."Billy jerked the car into reverse and the tires squealed their protest as he accelerated around a sharp turn.

Within minutes they pulled up in front of Lee's building, both drawing their firearms as they entered the structure.When they reached Lee's door their hopes sank as they viewed the disarray inside through the open door.Their momentarily lowered weapons were brought back to attention as they carefully navigated around the obstacles in their way.Francine paused to look at the recently replaced vase that was now shattered into pieces on the floor.Billy signaled to her that it was safe to proceed and they moved towards the light emanating from the bedroom.Billy quietly shoved the door aside, granting Francine access.She let out a gasp at the sight before her.

Billy hurried up behind her and was faced with the most horrifying sight he had ever witnessed in his years as an agent.Lee was sprawled facedown on the bed, half of his body resting on the mattress and the other half supporting his precarious position on the floor.He still clutched the emergency device in one hand.His other hand held a literal death grip on Amanda's bloodied wrist.Billy swallowed and took a deep breath before he headed over to the bed.

Relief flooded him when Lee emitted a low groan and moved his head slightly.Behind him Francine closed her eyes in shared respite.The feeling was short lived, however, when Billy gently touched Amanda's neck searching for a pulse.His eyes filled with tears as he observed her lifeless form.A single gunshot wound stood out on her chest and the rest of her body was scarred with numerous slashes. He turned to Francine, shaking his head in defeat.

Lee broke the dreary quiet by whispering one heartbreaking word: " Amanda."Francine walked out and shakily picked up the phone using a tissue to prevent the smearing of possible prints.Seconds later a team of paramedics loaded Lee onto a stretcher shouting commands and precautions, while another agency team traced an outline around Amanda's body and loaded her onto a separate gurney.Billy turned away in anger and pain as they pulled the sheet over Amanda's face and guided her out of the room.

***********************************************************************

" I just don't believe it," Francine said quietly to Billy. " It always seemed like they were indestructible."They were sitting in Lee's hospital room both hoping for and dreading his awakening.The doctors had bandaged up his injured hands and had diagnosed a severe concussion.

Lee had been unconscious for over 24 hours now and was just beginning to show signs of awareness.Billy knew that he would have to be the bearer of the horrendous news and was not anticipating Lee's reaction.The doctors had warned of possible memory loss of the incident and other small details as was common in head trauma victims. Billy prayed that Lee wouldn't remember those last moments.A loud groan from Lee got a reaction from Billy and stood.Forehead wrinkled with concern, he watched as his agent's eyes slowly opened and then squinted against the fluorescent hospital lights overhead.

"Billy?"Lee said, disoriented.

" Yes, Lee, I'm here," Billy said, as emotions too numerous to count assaulted his senses.Lee was a good friend as Amanda had been.It was a tragedy to lose one but if the other survived it would make the grief minimally better.

"What happened?"Lee grunted.

" There was a raid on your apartment," Francine said, approaching the foot of the bed. " How much do you remember Lee?"she added, dreading the answer.

" I remember...I remember that Sam was there.Sam Macht.My God, Billy, he is the leak.Amanda figured it out when he said..."Lee paused, his eyes wildly scanning the room for the one face he truly longed to see." Amanda.Where's Amanda?"

Francine and Billy shared a glance and then lowered their eyes, avoiding Lee's intense stare.

" What's wrong?Where is she!"Lee shouted, quickly sitting up.He clutched at his bandaged head as the movement sent thousands of prickling needles jarring through his skull.He swayed and leaned back against the pillows supporting his back.

" Take it easy, Lee.You've got a nasty concussion."Billy said, hoping to avoid the subject until his agent was more stable. 

" I'll call in a nurse," Francine told Billy, picking up on his attempt to sidestep the question.

" NO!" Lee shouted." I want to know what happened, I need to know!The last thing I remember is walking into my bedroom and..."Lee paused, his eyes wide.They moved rapidly back and forth as if he were watching the scene play out on the blanket covering his lap.

" No.The bedroom- they killed her."He turned his tear filled gaze towards Billy and the senior agent was reminded of a lost little boy who was scared and all alone in the world.He squared his jaw and vowed to remain strong for his friend.Lee's mouth gaped open and shut as if the words he was searching for couldn't cross the boundaries of his lips.He entered an almost catatonic state as one phrase repeated over and over in his mind: ' She's gone.'

Chapter 12

Billy and Francine glanced at the ground speechless.The tension and grief created a thick cloud over the hospital room.

"I'm sorry, Lee.She was a good friend.I know you were close," Billy said.Lee didn't respond and only continued to glance at his hands." We'll go find your doctor and give you some time alone."Billy gestured with his head for Francine to follow him and solemnly they shut the door leaving a confused and terrified Lee alone to his thoughts.

" It's my fault," he said out loud to the empty room." I shouldn't have left her alone, I should have..."his voice broke off as his composure finally broke and he was racked with powerful sobs.He had never realized before just how much Amanda meant to him; how much he needed her, both professionally and personally.

His mind flashed back to the first time they had met three years ago.She was so inexperienced and yet so wonderful at the same time.That thought led him to another memory.They were huddled together in the woods trying to keep warm under impossible conditions.She had made sure that he knew it wasn't his fault and that she wanted to be there with him.

Now he would never hear another comforting word pass her lips, nor would he be able to return the affection that he had felt from her.The tears abruptly stopped as his mind decided to shut down against the pain.He barely registered the doctor checking his vitals and telling Billy that he could be released if he promised to take it easy.Lee went through the motions of dressing and angrily shoved away Francine's supportive arm when he swayed while walking thorough the door.She was not the one he wanted to steady him.

Billy was growing extremely worried about Lee.He could tell that Francine had her concerns as well.It seemed that the agent was not in the right state of mind. ' Can you really blame him though?'Billy thought to himself.He followed Lee out the corridor into the parking lot.Lee didn't even put up a fight when Francine insisted that she drive, which gave a true insight into Lee's emotional state.Usually a difficult and determined patient, Lee normally would have been adamant that he was fine.Francine shot a silent question to Billy when Lee climbed into the passenger seat, slammed the door, and assumed a position where he could stare blankly out the window.

" Keep an close eye on him, Francine," Billy whispered.She nodded and got into the car herself.Billy watched them drive away before proceeding to his own car.He had the unpleasant task of revisiting the crime scene.It was a superior's duty to oversee the investigation when an agent was lost.And with a security crisis on hand it was even more important that the people who had destroyed so many lives be caught and severely punished." Sam" had mysteriously, yet not unpredictably, disappeared into the sunset as had Leslie O'Connor/ Barnes.

Billy also remembered one thing that had been previously overlooked in the hectic days after the crime.Amanda had a family.A family that had no knowledge of her position and a family that had to be notified that she was killed because of it.He assumed that Lee would want to be the one to do just that, but at the same time he wasn't sure if that would be the best thing for him.He sighed and turned the key in the ignition.He would talk to Lee about it back at the agency. 

Despite Francine's attempts to initiate a conversation and break the tension, at least for a little while, Lee remained lost in his own thoughts and his only responses were noncommittal grunts.Francine finally resigned to the fact that Lee was dealing with this in his own way and accepted his silence.She became lost in her own musings until she was startled out of them by Lee's voice.

" Take me to her house," he said finally glancing up away from the window.Francine's mouth dropped open at his request.She had figured he would seek solace at the agency, burying himself in work and heavy caseloads." I have to let her family know, Francine.They deserve that much.They know that I work with her, they shouldn't hear it from a complete stranger."Francine nodded slowly and turned the car around, heading towards Maplewood Drive.

***********************************************************************

An hour later an expectant Billy watched a haggard Lee and a worried Francine enter the agency.Without glancing up, Lee stumbled up the stairs to the Q Bureau, and slammed the door leaving his co-workers behind to fret over his condition.

" Francine, where were you?I've been trying to contact you for 30 minutes now."Billy said gruffly.

Francine glanced up at the stair before lowering her head, trying to find the words to explain what she had just witnessed." He wanted to tell her family," she finally said." He told them that it was a freak car accident on one of the sets.He also offered to pay for all expenses."Francine bit her lip to keep her composure.She had accompanied Lee to the King house in case he couldn't follow through with his task.The scene that had unfolded before her eyes had been heartbreaking.Billy nodded, allowing her to keep the rest to herself.

" I think we should let him rest for awhile.He's going to want to work the case and I don't plan on stopping him.But he needs to be alert and well in order to do that.I've also alerted Psyche Analysis of the situation.They'll schedule a 'routine' checkup on him so we can make sure he's ready to do this.I think we're all going to have a little difficulty handling this one."Billy said.He began walking towards the elevator and Francine followed him with one last glance back.

Chapter 13

The room was extremely dark and musty.The woman who sat in the middle of it had no clue as to where she was and guessed that it must be a basement of some sort.She could feel a thin layer of carpeting under her shoes and the chair she was handcuffed to would wobble slightly whenever she shifted as if it were on uneven ground.A cloth was tied around her mouth as a gag. She felt extremely groggy and her left arm ached.She assumed that she had been drugged; that certainly would account for the lightheaded feeling she was experiencing.She attempted to loosen her hands from their bonds but to no avail.The chain was secured to the chair and there was no possible avenue of escape.

The woman tried to remember how she had arrived in this position.Suddenly a bright overhead light blinded her, a pain forming behind her light sensitive eyes as they adjusted to the new environment.When finally her vision cleared, she saw a tall, menacing man standing before her. His black hair was streaked with gray and on his face a few horrible scars were visible.He was clothed completely in black--a black long-sleeve turtleneck covering his neck and arms, black gloves obscuring his hands from sight.She glanced around the bare room before returning her focus to him.

" Hello," he said, a thick Russian accent distorting the word." I hope you are comfortable here," he added, a wicked grin spreading across his face at her obvious discomfort." My name is Iosif Dzhugashvili, although I am sure you have deduced that already."

The woman opened her mouth to speak but was halted."Ah, ah.No talking without my permission.In my country it is considered rude to speak out of turn.Besides, I have a feeling that you will want to hear what I have to tell you."He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a newspaper clipping for her to see.He held it in front of her face so she could clearly read the headline before he pulled it away and began reading from it.

" Obituary.I find these short memorandums so sad, don't you?I think you will find this one particularly heartbreaking. Let me see now....It is dated 5 days ago.You have been out of commission quite a while," he glanced over the paper as if this somehow explained everything.A glint in his eye worried her as he resumed reading. " Amanda King was killed in a tragic car accident on Monday, October 12.She is survived by her mother and two loving sons.A memorial service will be held, courtesy IFF Federal Films, on Thursday."

Amanda gasped at this revelation.She had feared the obituary would belong to Lee, but she would have never guessed that once again she would be reading the news of her own death in the newspaper.Her eyes filled with angry tears at the injustice of it all.She couldn't even imagine what her family was going through, or Lee.She didn't even remember what had happened.The last thing that she could recall was standing in Lee's bedroom asking him why Sam had a gun.She couldn't even imagine how it was possible.

The man abruptly turned and headed towards the only other piece of furniture in the room: a worn, metal desk.He opened the top drawer and pulled out a file folder before walking back to her.He circled the chair like a vulture circling its prey before stopping and unhooking on of her hands. 

" I think you will find these photographs invigorating."He handed her the first one and narrated the gruesome scene for her benefit. " Lee Stetson's apartment. I'm sure you recognize it.I had these pictures taken moments before my associates make their hasty retreat.The dead woman on the bed is you, Mrs. King.Or should I say, it looks like you."

Amanda's forehead wrinkled in confusion at the photo of what was obviously her death."I'm sure the name Karen Brinkman sounds quite familiar to you, yes?" he said coyly.Amanda took a sharp intake of breath as the explanation became clear to her.The woman on the bed was her twin, her replica. ' She must have survived the fall,' Amanda thought to herself, amazed.

" These next photos were taken by my surveillance team.They are quite touching."Dzhugashvili slowly handed her the photos one by one, allowing her to study them closely.Amanda recognized her mother and the boys in one, and a cheerless Lee, Francine and Billy in the other.Then the photos focused on a casket being lowered into the ground.A close up revealed the temporary marker, which bore her name.The final picture showed Lee, kneeling at her grave.Even through the photograph Amanda could practically feel his pain.The expression on his face was like no other she had ever seen before.Her tears flowed freely now, staining the already tattered remains of her shirt.Anger was quickly rising throughout her, making her blood boil with a hatred and malice like she had never experienced before.

Common sense was replaced by raw instinct and she attempted to lunge at Dzhugashvili.However, he anticipated her move and struck her face with a sharp slap of his massive hand, nearly causing her to black out." That is not a wise thing to do, Mrs. King.I am keeping you alive only for my own amusement.I will not tolerate insubordination."

The look in his eyes sent an involuntary shiver down Amanda's spine and she forced herself to remain calm, at least while he was in the room.As if reading her thoughts Dzhugashvili stormed out of the room without a word, slamming the heavy metal doors opposite her.She heard a bolt sliding into place and heavy retreating footsteps.She let her chin rest on her chest for a moment before taking a better look around her.

In the light she could see a boarded up window to her left, directly above the metal desk.The desktop was empty, but she wondered if the drawers contained anything substantial besides more horrifying photographs.A deformed crowbar leaned against the side of the desk.Determined, Amanda began to rock back and forth, moving the chair forward in the process.Eventually the chair tipped, stranding her on her side.With some work and a bit of luck she was able to position herself in a fetal position with the chair supported by her back.A bit more maneuvering and Amanda was able to slowly crawl on her knees and free hand towards the desk.

The journey took longer than expected and Amanda's knees began to ache.The thin carpet offered no protection against the hard floor below it and the wooden chair was growing heavier with each movement.Finally she reached her destination and was allowed to rest.It took some thought and several failures before she assumed a sitting position in the chair again before the desk.She stretched her free hand out to the top drawer and pulled it open.A few sheets of paper were its only contents.Mentally crossing her fingers she moved on to the lower drawer.The glorious sight inside rewarded her efforts: a telephone.

She quickly grabbed for the device but could not quite reach it.The deep drawer was just out of reach and the handcuffs offered no slack for her to bend forward at the waist.She sighed and repositioned herself on her knees again, this time hitting her head on the top of the desk on the way down.The clang of metal resounded throughout the large room and Amanda froze afraid that the sound would alert her captor of her actions.

Several minutes passed, but the only other sound she heard was her own heart pounding rapidly in her chest.Amanda took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand.Now she was able to reach into the drawer.She prayed that the phone would be connected and picked up the handset with her free hand, leaning her opposite shoulder to lean on the desk for balance.The sweet sound of a dial tone echoed through her ears and she tucked the phone under her chin so she could dial.The number was imbedded in her memory from extensive use and in no time the phone was ringing.Now all she could do was wait and hope...

Chapter 14

A haggard looking Lee followed by an equally worn-down Francine and Billy somberly walked into the Q Bureau and sat down.None dared to take the seat behind Amanda's desk, especially Lee who considered it a shrine of sorts to his lost friend.They had just returned from her memorial service, an emotional experience for them all.No one would ever know what had truly happened to her, Lee had seen to that.The paper reported it as a car accident and a closed casket funeral had ensured that no one would see the gaping bullet wound that marred Amanda's chest.Lee slumped in his chair and closed his eyes, blocking out his companions.Insomnia was a good friend of his by now.

Terrifying nightmares persuaded him to spend nights in bars, anything that could erase the memories.His fatigue was apparent--dark circles surrounded his normally bright eyes.He hadn't bothered to shave and he had adopted the habit of wearing the same clothes two days in a row.Most often he didn't even bother to change, falling into bed unaware of his surroundings and numb to all emotion.Billy had ordered Lee to take up a visit with Dr. Pfaff, and after a rather loud fight in the hall he finally relented.The report from the doctor was not good and Billy had made a personal resolution to ensure Lee's recovery, both emotionally and physically.

Billy had even arranged for a new apartment for Lee. He knew he would never return to the old one except for a few personal items. All caseloads for the trio had been cancelled today unless they were emergencies.Lee was actually beginning to drift off, comforted by familiar friends and surroundings when the trill of the phone made him literally jump out of the chair in a panic.He glanced at his acquaintances sheepishly when he realized the source of the disturbance.Francine's raised an eyebrow at Billy at this display of anxiety from their usually cool Scarecrow.Lee hurried to pick up the phone, glad for the distraction.He recognized Billy's attempts to shelter him but he had been hoping for a big case to take his mind off of the current events.

"Stetson here," Lee said into the phone, clearing his throat.

" Mr. Stetson?This is Judy, from upstairs?"

"Yes?"

" I've just received a rather strange phone call for you.The woman said that it was urgent and started naming some security codes I didn't recognize.I've put her on hold, but she sounded rather hysterical."

" Who is it, Judy?"Lee asked impatiently

" She said her name was Amanda King."

Lee couldn't find his voice and he sank down in his chair.Billy did just the opposite and abruptly stood up ready to support his agent who looked like he had just seen a ghost.Little did he know how true his train of thought actually was.

"Should I put her through, sir?"Judy asked, oblivious to the significance of the words she had just uttered so casually.

" Uh, yes-yes put her through."Lee said forcing himself to respond ' This is a sick joke,' he thought to himself.As an afterthought he flipped on the tracer switch.If there was any chance that this was Dzhugashvili he was going to nail him once and for all...literally.He never expected to hear the one voice he never thought he'd ever heard on the other line.

" Lee? Lee is that you?"Amanda said in a hushed voice.

" Amanda?"Lee said with a mixture of awe and shock.Francine and Billy looked dismayed.' He's lost it,' Francine thought to herself sadly.

" Oh Lee, I'm so glad you're there.Are you all right?I don't even remember what happened.It's all a lie.I'm not dead, I know it looks like I'm dead but I'm really not--I'm here, I'm here and Dzhugashvili is here and I'm scared, Lee.I've never been so scared.He showed me pictures and my obituary..."Suddenly her voice was replaced by intense static.

" Amanda? Amanda?! Are you there? Answer me, Amanda!"a desperate Lee shouted into the phone, close to tears. Francine was standing now too, ready to take action in case Lee decided to do something irrational.

" Hello, Mr. Stetson.It's been a long time." A gravely, masculine voice said over the line.

"Dzhugashvili," Lee practically growled into the phone." Where is she?What have you done with her?"

" Who, Mr. Stetson?I am afraid I have no idea who you are referring to."

" You know very well who I'm talking about!Where is Amanda!I just talked to her! I know that she's there!"

"Have you not read the newspapers Mr. Stetson?Amanda King is dead.There is no way you could have talked to her just now.I believe you are the one who discovered the body as well, is this not true?"

" No," Lee said drawing in a shaky, gasping breath. " No.I'm not crazy.I talked to her!"He gritted his teeth together in frustration, the onslaught of renewed emotions taking over.A dial tone met his insistence.He checked the tracing device only to find it had somehow been interfered with." I talked to her," he repeated in a defeated voice. The phone dropped from his hand as he turned haunted eyes upwards towards Billy as if looking for one person that would believe him.

Both Billy and Francine were rendered speechless by this last display.They had both figured him to be on the edge but they had no idea how close to falling off he was."You don't believe me," Lee said disbelief flooding his features." You've gotta believe me, Billy!I don't go around hearing things! That was Amanda!"Billy glanced over at Francine, unsure of how to handle the situation.He wanted to believe it with all that was in him.But it came down to the fact that it just wasn't possible.This made Lee angry and he pounded a fist on his desk, the vibrations knocking off a few items that were haphazardly scattered on the surface. 

" Fine.You don't have to believe me.But she is out there somewhere.And with or without your help I'm going to find her."Lee grabbed his discarded suit jacket and stormed out of the door, pushing aside Francine who tried to block his path. 

Chapter 15

"What do you know, Augie!?" Lee Stetson shouted in his informant's face. Lee's maniacal glare was beginning to have an effect on the ever-enigmatic Augie.That--and the steely vise Scarecrow maintained on Augie's jacket collar--a grip that was too close to his throat for comfort.

" I'm telling you, I don't know anything!Come on, Lee, you know I'd never get involved with a character like Dzhugashvili!"

Lee relented his grip only for a moment before exerting all his force to shove Augie to the pavement." I never mentioned his name, Augie.Now talk!" Lee walked over and placed his heel against the still immobile Augie'sthroat." Or else." 

A strangled gasp was emitted from the man's mouth and he quicklynodded his head in cooperation."Ok, ok!Dzhugashvili wanted me to tell him where you lived.That's all, I swear! Look, he threatened to kill me!" 

Lee contemplated this fact silently. ' So Dzhugashvili isn't the all knowing man he presents himself to be after all.'" Do you know where he is?" Lee said out loud.

" No.I've never even seen him in person.He sent some woman to deal with me."

Lee finally removed his foot.He didn't even know why he wasted his time with Augie.' Because there's always that small chance, Scarecrow,' Lee said to himself.He tuned away from the shocked man on the ground and headed towards his Corvette.He started when he noticed a form sitting in the passenger seat and pulled out his gun.Slowly he crept towards the right door ready for action.He yanked open the door, almost causing the occupant to tumble out sideways.He kept his gun aimed, breathing hard.Then he gasped when the man turned his face towards him.

" Billy!"Lee said hurriedly, helping to balance his friend while tucking his gun in the waistband of his jeans.Billy gave Scarecrow one of his trademark glares and nonchalantly straightened his tie as if nothing had happened.

" We need to talk, Scarecrow.Get in the car,"Billy said gruffly.

" What's up, Billy?I'm kinda in a hurry here," Lee said climbing into the driver's side and shutting the door.

" That's part of what I need to tell you.We had a voice analysis run on the phone call you received this afternoon. We got two positive IDs. One was Iosif and the other was Amanda.I had it further tested; Amanda's voice was not from a recording device.You were right, Lee.I'm sorry I doubtedyou."

Lee allowed a grin to spread across his face.He knew that she was still alive; he could feel it. 

" We're trying to filter out background sounds but that will take a while longer to do.Meanwhile, we received this package addressed to you, Scarecrow.It's safe."Billy handed him a manila envelope.Lee carefully released the clasp and dumped the contents out into his open hand.A silver heart pendent stared back at him.He gently traced the pattern with his left finger before closing it in his fist, hiding it from view.He sat stationary for a moment before tenderly undoing the clasp and placing the necklace around his own neck, tucking it in his shirt for safekeeping.

Billy did not question his actions.He had watched Amanda and Lee grow closer and closer over the years.He had some speculations as well as hopes that their relationship would grow even more. ' If we find her in time,' Billy thought sadly.Lee's car phone rang and when Lee made no movement to answer it himself Billy picked it up.

" Melrose here."

" Billy?It's Francine.We need you and Lee back here A.S.A.P.The sound guys think they have a lead."

" We'll be right there."Billy said hanging up the phone.He turned to Lee whose eyes hopefully questioned the news." We've got a possible lead, Lee."Billy said, a triumphant smile involuntarily breaking out from his stoic façade.

***********************************************************************

" What did you find, Francine?" Lee said, barreling into the agency. His every thought was focused solely on finding Amanda and bringing her back safe and sound.

" We just got the background noises analyzed.There was an almost indiscernible rhythm in the background.So our sound techs amplified it and it turns out to be a train's whistle.Now I've checked the train schedules that paralleled with the time you received the call.There are three trains that run at that time in the morning.One on 4th Street, one on Parker and I just received the third location.It runs by the old train station."

" That's it!That's got to be it, Billy," Lee said enthusiastically. "It makes sense.All the other areas are too public. Dzhugashvili will want to stay out of sight.And the train tracks offer him the means and mode for a quick escape!"

" Now calm down, Lee,"Billy said gently, " I want to find her too. But if we're wrong and we go rushing in there it could only make things worse for Amanda.Francine, I assume you've placed surveillance teams on the sites already?"

" First thing.I have them on top priority.If they see anyone or anything that might point us to Amanda they have orders to contact us immediately."

" But we can't just stand here and do nothing!I can't stand her knowing that she could be in danger the longer we wait.Dzhugashvili is ruthless. He will do anything, anything to get what he wants!"

" And that's exactly why we need to be sure on this, Lee," Billy adamantly insisted. "I don't want to do it to you but if you don't get control of yourself I'm going to have to detain you for interfering with national security. For all we know Dzhugashvili could have somehow planted that sound in the background so we'd go off on a wild goose chase!"

Lee sobered at Billy's tirade.He hated to admit it but Billy was right. He needed to get a grip on his emotions and think rationally.' This is what Dzhugashvili wanted.That's why he took Amanda,' Lee reminded himself. He gave an almost imperceptible nod and slumped into a nearby chair, resting his head in his hands.

***********************************************************************

Amanda gave a visible shudder as Dzhugashvili walked into the room. She still held the phone in her hands like the lifeline that it was.She had no way to avoid the wrath to come.Dzhugashvili demonstrated his excessive strength by grabbing the back of the chair and flinging it, along with Amanda, with a crack into the nearest wall.

" That was very good, Mrs. King.I had hoped you would demonstrate your agency skills.That will make this much more interesting for me.And now that you little friend Stetson knows all about your plight, this will be that much more enjoyable.I've always fantasized myself as a puppet master, with Lee Stetson dangling by a thin thread that I alone control."

Amanda slowly blinked to clear her now blurry vision.Her head throbbed from where it had made contact with the wall and she could feel the sting of a gash on her forehead.

" You know in Russia I have learned many techniques used to control a person.The Russian police are very fluent in the language of torture. One of my favorite techniques is called slonick.I used it on a friend who had betrayed my trust once.I tied him to a chair, much like the one you are sitting in now, and then placed a gas mask over his head.This automatically cut off the oxygen to his lungs and he was forced to confess his indiscretions to me as I beat his chest.Then I took him into the alley and shot him in the head."Dzhugashvili recounted this horrendous story with a sickening nostalgia.Amanda's eyes were wide and she felt nausea rising in her throat at the disturbing imagery he had brought to light.

" I have not been able to use these methods for quite some time," he drew his eyes slowly over Amanda's body, causing her to suppress another shudder. " Perhaps we will have time for some fun later." 

" Why are you doing this?"Amanda asked, terrified.

" Why?This is why!"Dzhugashvili ripped off his concealing shirt in one tremendous swipe, the black fabric swirling around his damaged torso like a cape. " Do you see what he did to me, Mrs. King?He did this!"He walked over and grabbed her hair forcing her to look at his scarred and puckered wounds, souvenirs of that fateful battle so long ago." I am a proud man, Mrs. King.I was feared by all of Russia at one time.I was to make millions until Scarecrow showed up and ruined everything!There is not much one can do lying in a hospital bed, unable to move for the sheer agony that it will bring!"

Despite herself Amanda cringed at his words.This was a mistake she would soon learn not to repeat.

" Do you find me vile, Mrs. King?Can you not stand to look at this?"He gestured to his chest with a sweep of his equally scarred arm."Maybe you will understand a little better if you are to experience true pain and humiliation!"He walked out of the room leaving the huge doors to clang against the wall.

He returned minutes later with a key ring in his hand and a bloodcurdling expression on his face.Violently he unlocked the handcuffs from what remained of the abused chair and dragged Amanda to her feet, causing the metal to dig into her wrist and draw blood.Dzhugashvili scanned the room and his eyes settled on a large metallic pipe that hovered several feet above the ground.

" This will do nicely," he growled, pulling Amanda along behind him.The pipe was no match for the looming Iosif but Amanda had to crane her neck to even see the bar." I learned this method while in prison myself.The guards referred to it as 'lastochka'.It means the swallow.You will see why in a moment."

He hoisted her up and handcuffed her hands around the pipe.She gasped and bit back tears as the pressure pulled the metal deeper into her cut and swollen wrists.Her legs dangled feet above the ground and her stiff shoulders supported all of her weight as her head was forced forward so that she was at eye level with her stomach.She lost sight of Dzhugashvili as her disappeared to an unknown location behind her.

She heard a metal clank and the familiar 'thunk' of the desk sides retracting.She closed her eyes and envisioned Lee, preparing herself for the worst.Yet nothing could have prepared her for the excruciating pain she experienced when Dzhugashvili swung the crowbar against her side.She yelped and sucked in her breath as he repeatedly struck her with the heavy metal.

Just when she thought her battered body could take no more, he stopped.Amanda sighed in distress and relief and surrendered herself to the welcoming peace of unconsciousness, uttering one word before shutting out the world:" Lee."

Chapter 16

Lee was pacing the room impatiently.There had been no reports from the surveillance teams and that meant that there was no action being taken.Part of him wanted to rush out of the room, damn the consequences, but the other part kept him rooted here, wearing a trench in the carpeting.

Francine's eyes alternated from the computer screen in front of her to the man in motion on the other side and the combination of the two was giving her a headache.She silently pleaded with the computer to give her something, anything that would get them moving.Dzhugashvili had covered his tracks well.There was no trace of him or Leslie O'Connor anywhere.The train station so far was a dead end; there had been no movement at it in the last five hours of their waiting.Soon Billy would be forced to call off the surveillance and move on to another method.

The scuffling of Lee's shoes was driving her crazy and she was about to explode when the phone rang, causing the whole room to cease movement.She picked up the phone keeping her focus on an anxious Lee at the same time.

" Yes?"Francine asked.Her silence was unbearable as she listened to the details from the agent at the other end of the conversation.

Lee watched her expression closely, mentally crossing his fingers that a smile or other positive reaction would signal the first good news in this case.His luck failed him again and he could feel his restraint slowly untying as her face fell and she hung up the phone.

Francine gave a burdened sigh before turning weary eyes up to her expectant colleagues.She simply shook her head in answer to the silent questions hurtled her way.

Lee rolled his head back and closed his eyes trying to hold onto his last ounce of sanity.Billy came up behind him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, the way Amanda usually would have done in a situation like this.He tried to imagine that it was her but he couldn't feel the usual rush of affection and security he usually did whenever Amanda touched him.

He opened his eyes and tried to tell Billy that he was all right but his voice failed him as his eyes landed on the award adorning the wall behind his friend.He remembered how proud he had felt when Amanda had been given the award for her bravery in the line of duty.Without her intuition and trust in him they might have both been killed.The award had been hanging in that same spot ever since, hidden from her family but there for all the agency to see.He'd insisted on leaving it down there even when they moved a desk in the Q Bureau for Amanda.He'd wanted everyone to know that his partner, a housewife, a mother of two, a woman who couldn't bear to think of using a gun, had saved his life and the mission using skills that training could never bring about.

Billy followed his agent's gaze as a sad smile broke out on Lee's face.He echoed the reaction as his own nostalgia took over for a second.' We've got to find her.For both their sakes,' he thought.

***********************************************************************

A blinding flash was the first thing Amanda saw when she regained consciousness.Another quickly followed and she shut her eyes again against the intrusion.A click preceded the next flash and Amanda recognized the sounds of a camera whirring.' He's taking pictures?' she thought, muddled.Her arms ached terribly and they were barely supporting her body as she swayed suspended in mid air.A sharp pain pierced her left side with every breath she took and that was rapidly becoming a difficult task as well.Her throat emitted alien strangled gasps as she struggled to stay awake.A train sound could be heard in the background but it sounded too distant to give her any hope that it was a clue of her surroundings.

She forced her eyelids open and in her peripheral vision she could she Dzhugashvili holding both a camera and a tape recorder.He noticed that she was awake and took the opportunity to prod her injured side prompting an agonizing yelp from Amanda.Her eyes involuntarily filled with tears as she tried to control her breathing again.

" Did you hear that Stetson?That is only a measure of the pain your little woman must be feeling right about now. And if you think that these images are horrible you won't be able to bear the ones to come."Dzhugashvili rumbled into the recorder with all the menace and repressed hate he could spring forth from his psychotic and evil soul.His accent grew thicker as he disregarded precision for passion.Amanda groaned again at hearing his words, words she knew would come close to breaking Lee.

Dzhugashvili grinned a sinister grin at her desired reaction.He clicked the pause button on the recorder and walked over to the desk where a new object now lay--a gleaming knife, obsessively polished so that his reflection appeared in the surface unmarred.

Amanda stiffened when he held it under her bent chin near her collarbone.The click of the recorder resuming its duties involuntarily made her react by pushing back.In her weakened state this only resulted in exerting more pressure on her shoulders and she bit back another groan.He lightly drew the knife over her throat, causing a thin line of red to appear.This time she could not hold back her gasp as warm drops of blood slowly slithered down her tattered shirt.Not a fatal cut, but close enough to cause concern.

With one giant sweep Dzhugashvili swung the knife over her head severing the ropes binding her to the pipe and cutting her forearm in the process.She screamed as blinding pain from both the slash and the fall rushed through her body.Dzhugashvili gave a tremendous laugh that would rival any horror movie villain's and clicked the stop button on the recorder as Amanda lay on the ground, helpless to do anything but watch. 

He ejected the tape and slid both it and a handful of Polaroid pictures into a manila envelope.The cover was adorned with the label: INTERNATIONAL FEDERAL FILMS, GEORGETOWN, USA written with a permanent marker in large black letters.She could also now see a muted television in the corner still showing images of trains on its screen.

Dzhugashvili walked out of the room without a word leaving Amanda to suffer on the cold floor.She made several attempts to get on her feet but her battered arms would not cooperate in pushing her body up and she tired quickly.She closed her eyes and forced herself to shut out the negative surroundings and focus on good memories.Lee's face automatically popped into her head.The image was both comforting and painful.She didn't want him to have to hear that tape.She tried to pull images of her mother and sons into her mind instead but they reminded her of the grief her pretense of death had bestowed upon them.

Her eyes flew open as if she was awakening from a nightmare.Along with this reaction came an unexpected rush of adrenaline and her sore body temporarily numbed as she propelled herself into a sitting position.A sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead as her mind overruled her body and she slowly dragged herself over to the large metal doors.She had not heard the bolt latch into place behind her captor; maybe there was hope of at least exiting her prison and beseeching help from someone outside.Just as she stretched a shaky hand up to the large metal handle it tuned and the doors opened revealing a familiar face: Leslie O'Connor.

***********************************************************************

Fatigue forced Lee to finally seek the couch in Billy's office for a rest.His body was running on limited fuel and his supply eventually ran out.He fought sleep, fearing the nightmares to come but his eyelids were like weights and they closed, shutting out the chaos outside.A tray of untouched food sat on the table parallel to him--only the glass of water showed signs of being disturbed.Lee vaguely heard the office door open and recognized Billy's footsteps lightly whispering across the floor.There was a clatter as Billy lifted the tray and a squeak as the door closed behind his retreating form.

Lee's mind was floating in that anomalous state somewhere between a deep sleep and consciousness.He was bombarded with jumbled images and sounds, some supplied by the noises drifting in from the bullpens.Images of Amanda and Leslie alternated like a slideshow on the insides of his eyelids and the final battle with Dzhugashvili played out as well.He tossed and turned, playing out the actions in his dream, reaching to his side for the gun that fortunately wasn't there.

He jolted up as the resounding echo of a gunshot rang through his head.His wild eyes darted around the room, heart beating madly, searching for the origin of the noise.His surroundings registered in his mind and he noticed a fallen book resting on the floor.Lee ran his fingers through his hair and picked up the book, absentmindedly thumbing through the pages, not seeing the material before him.

Finally he replaced the book on the table and helped himself to a glass of brandy from Billy's supply.The liquid burned his throat as he downed it in one gulp, but he didn't care; the temporary pain distracted him from the persistent ache in his heart.He roughly set down the glass and fought his desire to pour another.

Grabbing his jacket and swinging open the office door he hurried past the mob of agents in his path, ignoring Billy's calls.He angrily punched the button to the lift and waited impatiently for the doors to grant him access.Billy watched him from a distance, intuitively knowing to let Lee have some time alone.He trusted his agent not to act impetuously and had a hunch that Lee was just heading to more familiar territory to escape for a while.Lee disappeared behind the elevator doors and Billy returned to work.

When Lee reached the top he nodded to Mrs. Marsden who was diligently at work as well.He bounded up the stairs, his heavy footfalls thumping loudly.Lee paused at the Q Bureau's entrance building up his courage to face so many memories of Amanda all at once.

When he entered the office he found himself comforted rather than terrorized.Even after days of her absence the familiar odor of her favorite perfume lingered in the air.A vase held wilted flowers that she had brought fresh from her garden to brighten up the drab office.Amanda had made everything so much more vivid for him.For so long he had ignored the simple joys of life: fresh flowers, a walk in the park, and a simple dinner with a friend.She had opened his eyes to a glimpse of a "normal" life, one where people were allowed to have emotions and where ignorance of the more sinister aspects of life was bliss.

There had been very few times that he was pushed to question his career choice.He had always held the belief that this was what he was meant to do, that it was his destiny to prevent other little boys from losing their parents and better the world he lived in to the best of his ability.But now, when he was rendered helpless by circumstance, he had to question if he was really making a difference at all.He smiled bitterly as he imagined Amanda's encouraging response to his question.

Finally breaking his reverie, he closed the door behind him and headed towards his desk.He was draping his wrinkled jacket over the back of his chair when he noticed the opened window above it.Lee swiveled around, his agent training instantly kicking into place.The room was deserted but there was one thing out of place.Centered in Amanda's desk sat a brown envelope.Lee had personally seen to it that her desk was not disturbed and apprehension set in as he guessed the source of the package.With everyone so preoccupied on the search, agency security had not been properly increased.It would be difficult but not impossible for someone to access the second floor office via the window probably by means of the roof.It would definitely not be a task for a pro and Dzhugashvili used none other than the best in his sinister plots.

He nervously opened the envelope, afraid of what the contents would reveal.A smaller white envelope was tucked inside the larger one and a miniature cassette tape was attached to the front of it.Lee carefully opened the case and with trembling hands slipped it into the player on his desk.The familiar train whistle pierced through a wave of static.The daunting voice of Dzhugashvili mingled with the tone to create a haunting combination." Hello again, Stetson.I know that you are watching me, but you aren't coming close at all.And I must warn you that it is not wise to try and apprehend me.I have something that you must desperately want back by now.I suggest you open the white envelope and take a look at what is inside."

Dzhugashvili paused as if he had known that Lee hadn't already opened the packet.Lee slowly slid the photographs out of the package face down; dreading to look at what he knew would be horrible images. He expected nothing less of Dzhugashvili.He turned the picture over and gasped at the terror before him in vivid color.Every picture displayed a horribly beaten Amanda hanging from a pipe in what Lee recognized as a classic Russian torture method.His eyes stung as tears threatened to fall.He wasn't even sure that she was alive until he saw the most heartbreaking picture of all.Amanda seemed to be staring directly at him through the image, her big brown eyes laced with pain and fear, pleading him to help her.A thread of blood marred the smooth skin of her throat and drops stained her white collar.

As if planned, sound resumed over the speakers.Lee's resolve crumbled as he recognized Amanda's anguished yelp followed by Dzhugashvili's voice. " Did you hear that Stetson?That is only a measure of the pain your little woman must be feeling right about now.And if you think that these images are horrible you won't be able to bear the ones to come."

Something in Lee snapped as he listened to Amanda cry out one last time before the tape stopped and the whirring of the machine was the only sound left.Lee ripped the cord out of the wall and thrust the machine and tape through the still half-open window.A shattering crash alerted Mrs. Marsden downstairs as she witnessed the piece of machinery and shards of broken glass plummet to the sidewalk below.Above her Lee was clutching his slashed right hand to his chest, the left clutching the picture of Amanda and his lifeless eyes staring blankly at the scenery below.

Chapter 17

Francine and Billy ran into the room, the Q Bureau door slamming into the wall behind it from the force of their entry.Panic was evident on their faces and they slowed their gait as they warily stared at the still form of Lee outlined by the light from the broken window.

He did not turn when Billy approached him, just handed over the photographs and continued to stare out the window, angry and hurt tears spilling down his face.Agents were taught not to have emotions, to repress their pain and desire.But eventually the dam had to break and this time had come for Lee.

Francine felt awkward and kept her distance.She had never known Lee to act this way before even in the most dire of situations.Billy glanced over the photos in horror.He understood his agent's distraught reaction.Billy checked his own reaction.Someone had to keep a straight head for now if they were to get anywhere in this case.

He handed the pictures over to Francine ignoring her shocked gasp at her first glimpse of the images and walked over to Lee, placing a supporting hand on his shoulder.Below, agents were already collecting the remains of the tape recorder.One held up the somehow still intact tape for Billy to see.

Lee gave a small sigh of relief, the first sound he'd made since they'd walked into the room.He knew that it had been stupid to throw the evidence out of the window but when he had done it he'd been thinking like a friend of the victim, not a trained agent.He reached up and swiped at the stray tears with the back of his hand.A steely look settled itself onto his face; Lee was ready for action and out for his own personal vengeance.

Billy noted this with apprehension.He knew that the rational thing to do would be to order Scarecrow off the case, but he didn't have the heart.Besides, he knew that only physical restraints would keep him down and even those might prove futile.Francine carefully replaced the photos in the envelope and handed them to an approaching agent ordering in hushed voices to have the package along with the cassette analyzed for trace evidence.

Lee finally tuned around and faced his associates, determination etched into his features.His eyes held a red tint from the irritation of the tears making his expression even more fearsome. 

" We've got to get to him, NOW,"Lee growled pounding his already abused hand on the desk.He was beyond feeling physical pain at the moment.

***********************************************************************

" Going somewhere, Amanda?"Leslie asked with a smirk on her face.Amanda slumped against the wall in defeat as Leslie slammed the door shut behind her and walked to the center of the room.Her three- inch black heels clicked loudly on the floor sending ringing through Amanda's already pounding skull.

" You? Why?"Amanda croaked.Her throat was dry and scratchy from the lack of water and her tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of her mouth.

" Why?"Leslie replied mocking Amanda." I have many reasons why, Mrs. King.You ruined my last chance at happiness!"Leslie shouted as if this was common knowledge that everyone was aware of.She had a psychotic gleam in her eye as she began to pace back and forth across the room. She took four steps left, four steps right and then the pattern continued.

Amanda closed her eyes, her head swimming from the constant motion of following Leslie's movements.They flew open when Leslie struck a hand across her face the sound of skin making contact with skin resounding through the large building.A bird took flight out of a small hole in the worn roof and Amanda caught her first glimpse of sunlight in days.

" Listen to me when I'm talking!You're just like him, he never listens to me!"Leslie yelled, reminding Amanda of a child throwing a tantrum.

" I'm listening," Amanda whispered.

" I guess you're wondering how I got tied up in all this.I was in it from the beginning," Leslie began, a nostalgic look in her eye as she was transported to some time in her past. " I met Iosif at an embassy party in Moscow.I didn't know who he was, but there was this mysterious way he had about him that fascinated me.He noticed my observations and came over to talk to me.I was surprised that he could speak English so well as he was surprised I spoke Russian fluently.I met with him a few times after that and found myself falling in love with him.He said he loved me too, that I was the only one for him.I was convinced.I would do anything for Iosif," Leslie broke off a scowl replacing her wistful smile.

" And then I realized that he was only using me for my position.I had done a few favors for him, nothing major, or so I thought.And then one day while looking for a pen, I found a file in his desk listing his real ' jobs'.He walked in and cornered me and said that if I ever talked to anyone about this he would kill me.I was blinded by my lingering love and the anger dissipated for a while.I followed him around like a puppy, helping him along with my credentials whenever I could."

"I got him into the U.S. the first time, before Lee Stetson sent him back to that awful prison in Moscow.Even after that I didn't hesitate and dug for an assignment that would send me closer to my beloved.Months later I was on a plane flying across the ocean on the perfect job.They wanted me to interview another assassin in the same Moscow prison and get his accounts on something or other; I don't remember now what it was.I was so excited my hands shook as the guards unlocked the final gate that would grant me access to the inner sanctums of the prison.I tried to be inconspicuous as my eyes darted back and forth from cell to cell seeking out the one face I hadn't seen since I left the laboratory before the raid.One figure caught my eye even as my escort led me to a cell opposite.He was huddled in a corner reading, the book covering his face.I recognized him instantly and I dismissed my escort with the excuse that this was classified information.I crossed over to the cell and quietly called his name.I was shocked to see what Lee had done to him; his face was blistered and scarred terribly.At first he turned me away, ashamed of his disabilities.He was always such a proud man, my Iosif."Leslie began to pace back and forth, her mind instructing her body and hands to play out her memories.

"Day after day, for months I returned to that gloomy place.I gathered minimal information from my contact so that I could extend my stay in Moscow.My hopes began to sink as I realized this man was no longer the Iosif I knew.Then one day just as I was ready to leave he called me over.Without a second word he slipped me a piece of paper torn from the back of his book.I recognized his classic handwriting style and slipped the paper into my files so the guards would not be suspicious.Later that night in my hostel, I read by soft candlelight his detailed descriptions of a master plan of revenge and freedom.After the years of despising his work I was startled to realize that I liked it after all.The prospect of avenging Iosif made my heart pound in anticipation.The next day I returned that paper to him with my acceptance written on the back in a secret code that we had devised."

"My search was on for the perfect replica for Iosif.However, he has a very unique build, and night after night I returned to the hostel with aching feet and no one to help us.Finally I stumbled across a man lying in the gutter half-alive and very drunk.I offered him a place to stay and tricked him into thinking that the prison was a marvelous palace for people like him.I took him back to my room and supplied him with a large collection of his favorite drink, keeping him unaware of my true plan.I kept him sober for one night and the next morning I lugged him into the prison well disguised in an overcoat and sunglasses, which he welcomed in aid to nurse his hangover.Iosif had somehow obtained a replica of a key from a crooked guard and the switch was made easily and rapidly.I continued with my business and we walked out unnoticed.I returned for two more weeks to decrease the chance we would be discovered.The guards took little notice to our 'twin' and the ignorant man I had recruited thought nothing of his surrounding more than he got a meal every day and had a roof over his head."

"I smuggled Iosif back into the U.S., which proved to be more difficult, but my reputation preceded me and I was granted entry with little inspection of the large crate I had boarded on my return passage by ship.We left New York by car and slowly made our way back here, to Washington.I sought out Lee Stetson by attending numerous parties.Government officials eventually always attend embassy parties of some sort.I spotted him flirting at a bar and after a some convincing conversation on my part I got him to invite me to his apartment," she said, directing a sly glare at Amanda.

Amanda cringed at this little detail.She had always been a bit unsettled by Leslie's sudden appearance in Lee's life, even more so now.

Leslie broke off from her reverie and noted this reaction with an evil gleam in her eye." As planned I attached myself to him.But there was something about him, something about the way he acted that was so different from Iosif that I found myself becoming confused.My role as a spy became blurred with my role as a girlfriend.Before I knew it Iosif wasn't the most important man in my life anymore. And then you showed up," She said her voice dripping with malice and jealousy. 

"I could tell that you weren't his secretary from the moment you walked into the room.He thought I didn't notice but I could tell how embarrassed he was at my impromptu arrival and meeting with you.I had hoped to learn more during dinner but you declined and he hustled you out so fast I never had the chance.I caught bits and pieces of your conversation outside and later on my suspicions were confirmed by sources that you were much more than a secretary.I didn't worry though, I thought I had Lee on my own personal leash, so similar to the one Iosif had on me.I relished being in control and I entertained the notion of betraying Iosif."

"And then Lee cancelled our date suddenly.I followed the two of you incognito to a restaurant where you shared a cozy little dinner of wine and steak.I had to go inside because he chose a booth at the back of the room.It was quite a romantic little setting, candlelight and wine.He wore an impeccably tailored suit perfect for the occasion.I saw something in the way he looked at you that I had never experienced when he looked at me and I realized that I was just a temporary fixture, a replacement of what he really wanted." 

Amanda's eyes grew wide at Leslie's account of the events.She wondered if they held any truth to them.

" So I made a hasty exit and cried myself to sleep in my lonely hotel room.The next morning I reported back to Iosif with an agenda of my own on hand.I used every ounce of courage to tell him my plan, praying that he would consent.Of course he molded it into the perfect scheme, and that brings us to now, to here, and to why."Leslie finished her monologue, her poise returning as her pacing relented and she turned to face Amanda.

" I could have loved Lee Stetson.You took that away from me.And that is why you have to pay, why the both of you have to pay!"She stormed out of the room in a blind rage, slamming and bolting the door behind her as angry tears streamed down her face unnoticed.

In a hidden area outside Dzhugashvili thoughtfully clicked off the monitor, the security camera strategically placed inside the holding room shuddering to a stop in its rotations.The last image was of a stunned Amanda stiffly curling her knees up to her chest, assuming a typical defensive position before resting her head on folded arms and closing her eyes.

Chapter 18

Lee impatiently tapped his foot on the ground as an agency nurse swaddled his lacerated hand in white bandages.Every now and then a wince crossed his solemn features when she hit a sore spot.

Billy stood in the doorway supervising her actions.He had literally had to force Scarecrow to seek medical attention on his hand.An injured agent would be of no use in the field; especially in the high profile conflict Billy anticipated would soon come to face them all.Fortunately Lee's left hand, his shooting hand, was not affected and he would not have to be relieved of his clearance to carry a firearm.

Lee focused on his left hand, unconsciously clenching and unclenching his muscles to form a fist.He looked up when Billy cleared his throat in annoyance of his actions and ceased movement.Returning his gaze to his hand he noticed a fine residue coating his fingertips.He slowly brought his fingers up to his face and smelled the powder warily.A faint pine scent filled his nostrils and the wheels in Lee's brain began spinning as he tried to place the familiar smell.

Sawdust - the residue was sawdust... but where had it come from?Lee stared at his hand perplexed.He mentally retraced his steps hoping to come up with a solution to this enigma.He had been in the office most of the day but hadn't changed his clothes from the day before when he interrogated Augie. ' But I would have noticed the sawdust before that- the last thing I touched was...'Lee's train of thought broke off as he let out an audible gasp, his eyes growing huge in his head as he shot a frantic glance over at Billy." The photographs!"Lee said, finishing his thought out loud. 

" What?"Billy said, completely lost.

" There's sawdust on my hand, Billy.It must have come off of the photographs or the envelope or something!"Lee said exuberantly, ignoring the nurse's commands to hold still.He jumped off the examining table, barely giving the nurse time to tuck in the last stray wisp of gauze before he was rushing out the door past Billy to the elevator.

Billy followed close on his heels, as excited as Lee was.If the lab confirmed the residue's identity this could mean a major breakthrough, their first breakthrough.Lee impatiently punched the button and then pressed it again when several long seconds had passed.He took a deep breath and concentrated on the doors as if his mental will could magically cause them to open.Finally they were granted admission and pushing the coats and sweaters aside, stepped into the lift.

As the doors closed Lee's eyes landed on a pink sweater hovering near his face.He gently caressed the material that had once belonged to Amanda.A knowing finger sought out the bullet hole near the left pocket. Nostalgia clouded his mind as he was once again taken back to that day when Amanda had faked getting shot to save his life.They had placed the sweater in the closet so she could avoid questions from Dotty as well as from her already suspicious dry cleaner.Without thinking he took the sweater down and held it in his hands, allowing himself to imagine for a moment that it was Amanda standing next to him instead of Billy.

Billy noted this action and pursed his lips, deciding against breaking the moment. Their movement shuddered to a halt as the doors opened.Lee hurriedly exited the lift, sweater still in hand as he followed the familiar path to the agency laboratory.Pushing the swinging glass doors marked 'LAB' aside he nearly ran into an equally frenzied Francine coming the opposite way.He gripped he shoulders to steady her forcing himself not to snatch the file she was holding tightly in her grasp.

" Did they find it?Did they find the sawdust?"Lee asked, his eyes meeting her shocked ones

" Yes, but..."

"Is there anything special about it, anything that can lead us to the source?"

" Slow down, Scarecrow. We're not going to learn anything if you don't let Francine talk," Billy butted in, tilting his head in warning.Lee nodded and gave Francine a muttered apology.

" Ok, then.Yes, we found a sawdust residue both on the photographs and the envelope.There was also a partial print on the inside flap of the envelope that we're trying to clarify.There is nothing extraordinary about the sawdust, however.It's generic, inexpensive, not from a rare type of wood and easily locally available.For all we know the person who developed the photographs could have transmitted the residue."

" No," Lee said." How many developing studios are near a sawdust supply?This has to be a clue, I just know it."

" I agree," Billy said." Dzhugashvili has been too careful to let this slip.The sawdust could have passed onto the photos unnoticed if he was located somewhere where he had become accustomed to the smell.I'll have our guys investigate all of the local mills..."

" That's it!"Lee shouted, startling Billy and everyone else around them." When we found Dzhugashvili before he had created his laboratory in an abandoned Globe Mill.It fits, Billy."

" Dzhugashvili does have a flair for dramatic irony."Billy said, his eyes rapidly moving in thought.

" But there are at least a dozen Globe Mills in this area alone.Which one would he be in?"

" Globe Mills ceased operations in the late 70s and the buildings have been sitting there ever since then.We destroyed his original lab to assure the leftover chemicals and parts wouldn't fall into the wrong hands.That leaves 11 locations.He had to have been close to my apartment because the reports say that you arrived only 15 minutes after..." Lee trailed off, not wanting to think about that again.

Billy walked over to an adjacent room and disappeared behind the doors.In no time he returned with an old phonebook, marker, and map in hand.Setting both on a desk in front of them he flipped to the 'G' section and scanned the listings intently.Within moments the D.C. area map was marked with several red dots representing the abandoned Globe Mills.

Lee grabbed the map off the desk and literally ran to the elevator.Another painstaking wait convinced all that a new lift was next in line on the renovation budget.Lee was the first on and he almost closed the doors on Francine who was the last.As soon as the doors slid away Lee ran up the steps two at a time and burst into his office.Billy stayed downstairs and used Mrs. Marsden's phone to alert a backup team of their pending sweep.Lee came back down nearly tripping as his momentum got away with him.Jacket half on and keys and map in one hand, he pushed his way out the door.Francine hopped into Billy's car even as Lee was already speeding off to the first location in his Corvette.

Amanda jerked awake with a start as a metallic clang signaled the admittance of someone into the room.This time the lights had been shut off and only a faint shadow alerted her to the mystery person's position in the room.She fought the urge to sneeze as a wisp of sawdust irritated her senses.Suddenly, a blinding spotlight attacked her overly sensitive eyes causing her abating headache to return in full force.She was powerless to move, exhaustion and dehydration finally taking their toll on her battered body.

An echoing laugh identified her companion as Dzhugashvili.She shuddered with a mixture of rage and chills that ravaged her body.His footsteps grew nearer and nearer, a foreboding sound that began to arouse a state of panic in Amanda's mind.Flashbacks to her abuse before forced tears to spill down her face, stinging the scrapes on her cheeks as the salty water intermingled with blood and dirt. She drew in a quick breath and a stabbing pain in her side froze her actions.Shakily she released the breath, cautious not to aggravate her obviously serious wounds further. A finger appeared out of the black mist surrounding her and lifted her chin upward towards an invisible face.

" What's wrong, Amanda?"Dzhugashvili said maliciously.Amanda's rapidly deteriorating state of mind formed a picture of Lee in front of her asking the question not with malice but with genuine concern and love.

" Lee?" she questioned weakly.A sharp slap briefly snapped her out of her daydream as her head lolled back against the wall for support.She could make out the faint form looming over her and braced herself against the impending blow to her head when a different sound penetrated the building.The air was still and so quiet she could hear Dzhugashvili's rapid breaths rumble through his chest.

Familiar footsteps were approaching and Amanda bit her lip as she recognized the slow cautious step of Lee followed by the quick, clicking steps of Francine's heels on the pavement outside.Her eyes darted to Iosif fearfully, not for herself but for her unaware friends who were outside.She struggled for the energy to call for help but her vocal cords failed her even as the click of Dzhugashvili's safety echoed throughout the enclosed area.She was momentarily forgotten as he crept out the steel doors, leaving them open for the first time since Amanda had found herself hostage here.

With every ounce of strength she had left Amanda scooted towards the door, her back scraping against the cold concrete wall with every push.Triumphantly, Amanda pushed herself through the entry and was able to grasp a chair back to pull herself into a standing position.Her knees wobbled and her head felt like it would spin loose from her shoulders but she fought the sensations and clutching her left side hobbled towards another doorway she hoped would lead her to Lee.She froze, doubled over, when shouting filtered in from outside, unintelligible threats being slug back and forth by her captor and her savior.She was so overcome with emotion to hear the sweet notes of Lee's distinctive intonation that at first she didn't notice the protrusion of metal pressing against her spine.Finally her instincts kicked in as she recognized the outline of a gun barrel bruising her flesh.

" You're not going anywhere, not if I can help it,"Leslie growled, lifting the gun and smashing it against Amanda's skull, knocking her into oblivion once again.

" Give it up, Dzhugashvili!"Lee shouted at the man hiding behind the building corner.An explosion of gunfire was his only reply.

" There's no way out of this!Give us Mrs. King and surrender!"

" Never!"Dzhugashvili shouted, firing another round at the growing number of agents surrounding the front of the building.Lee returned fire, chips of red brick falling to the ground as the bullets made impact with the structure.Billy nodded at Lee and assumed a firing stance as Lee reloaded his weapon and rose to a crouch.

Billy fired a rapid string of shots in Dzhugashvili's general area as Lee rushed up to the building.The firing ceased as Lee pressed his back up against the brick, out of sight from the assassin. Slowly he measured his steps and with a deep breath flew around the corner into the alley, gun poised and ready to fire at anything that moved.

He was met with a blurred vision of a scarred arm swinging towards his face.In one swift movement Lee ducked, the blow barely missing impact.He retaliated with a blow of his own to his attacker's stomach and a whoosh of air escaped Dzhugashvili's throat as the unexpected blow made him stagger back on his feet.Lee was taking no chances this time and as the pictures of Amanda flashed through his head he fired his weapon at the unsuspecting man in a blind outrage.A yelp of pain revealed a moment of weakness and Dzhugashvili collapsed to his knees clutching his right arm.

Lee gave a small smirk at seeing his mighty adversary broken and at his will.He was troubled at the thoughts going through his head but dismissed them when he remembered that this was the man that had hurt Amanda, his Amanda.He aimed again to fire the fatal shot to Iosif Dzhugashvili's skull when a strong arm knocked the gun away from his hands sending it spinning through the air to land with a clang in a nearby dumpster.Lee whirled around in defense only to face a gruff looking Billy.Only then did Lee realize his would-be actions and he lowered his eyes as a group of agents rushed past him to detain Dzhugashvili. 

" It's over, Scarecrow,"Billy said in a firm voice that was neither reprimanding or condescending.When Lee finally met his superior's eyes he was stunned to see familiar emotions or anger and revenge reflected back at him.Lee nodded in understanding and tuned back to face the monster that had crossed his path one too many times.

" Where is she?"Lee growled. 

Dzhugashvili pushed away the agent inspecting his seemingly incapacitated right arm and reached into his pocket, pulling out a round red device with an antenna attached to the top." It is never over, Stetson.It will never be over for you," he said as he depressed the button. Panic filled everyone's features as a tremendous explosion sent agents flying into the air.Lee landed against a wall, heat searing his skin and the noise leaving a resounding ringing in his ears.In his last moments of consciousness he heard the screech of tires and a car engine retreating from the scene.A final groan was his only testament as he lapsed into darkness.

Chapter 19

A battered and bandaged Lee opened his eyes to find himself staring at another uncomforting hospital ceiling.His shoulder ached and he could feel gauze placed over what he assumed were burns.Glancing around, he noticed an IV stuck in his arm and he fought the instantaneous urge to pull it out.

The only thing different this time is that he remembered what had happened. ' We were so close.'Lee turned his head to find Billy dozing on a sofa in the corner.His clothes were tattered and Lee could spot a few identical bandages peeking out from the numerous holes in Billy's attire.The door opened and an unmarred Francine walked in quietly, glancing first at Lee and then at Billy.She tiptoed over to Lee and gave him a comforting smile.

" What happened?"Lee whispered.

" You don't remember?"Francine returned, a puzzled frown replacing her smile.

"I remember the blast, but after that everything's a blur.What happened to Dzhugashvili?"

" He was killed in the blast.We're still searching for his remains.I think that bomb was his backup plan. Lee, Amanda wasn't in the building."

" What?"Lee said, not believing his ears.He had been sure...

"There were no human remains found in the rubble," Francine had to smile at the huge grin that erupted on Lee's face.

"There were some tire tracks leading away from the scene, we lost them a few miles later.We assume that whoever was driving that car had Amanda with them."

" So there's still a chance,"Lee said, already moving to get up from the bed.

" Whoa, Lee.Come on, now.You were pretty close to that blast yourself."

"I'm fine, Francine.I've got to find her.Leslie is probably the one who has Amanda and she's already proven herself to be dangerous--not to mention demented."

" Francine's right, Lee,"Billy spoke up.He sat up and rubbed at his eyes before coming over to the opposite side of the bed. " You need to rest.We all do.I have a team of agents going over that building with a fine tooth comb.But until they turn up something helpful getting ourselves killed is not going to do anyone any good."

" You can't keep me here, Billy.Not this time.I'll sign out AMA if I have to, but I'm not staying strapped down to this bed helpless when I could be out there doing something.We were close, Billy!She was right under our noses.I'm not letting them take her away from me again."

Billy met Lee in an intense staring match until Billy finally relented and shook his head in annoyance. " Fine.You can leave.But as soon as this case is over you are taking a mandatory vacation!"

" Yes, sir!"Lee grinned as Billy called in a nurse to take out the IV.

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" No, no, no!It wasn't supposed to end this way.We were going to live together, start over.He said he loved me.I loved him.And now he's dead.IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!"Leslie shouted at the prone Amanda, who was sprawled across the back seat unaware of the gradual decline of her tormentor's mind.

"I'm not going to get caught," Leslie said violently shaking her head from side to side like a child throwing a tantrum.Her neck was sore by the time her motions ceased, but she didn't feel it.She was beyond feeling any pain except for the ache deep in her heart."And I'm not going to let Lee have you.He doesn't deserve you.He wants me.I know that deep down he wants me, not you.And I'm going to have him all to myself once you are gone.He'll never know what hit him!"Leslie sharply tuned the wheel, punctuating her exclamation sending the gray sedan squealing around the corner and nearly tipping it over.

When all four tires finally met with the ground again, the car fishtailed as its insane driver fought for control.With a screech Leslie managed to throw the car into park along the curb in front of an apartment building.Masked by the growing dusk she pulled an awaking Amanda out of the car and dragged her around to the back of the building.When they had first planned their entry into Lee's apartment Sam Macht had discovered an old service elevator hidden in the back of the storage room. Now Leslie broke open the wooden barrier covering a small square entrance that had once been a window with adrenaline-induced strength and slung Amanda over her shoulder, ducking into the hole.

Carefully placed empty boxes were flung aside as Leslie attacked them with her foot.She dropped Amanda roughly to the perforated metal floor of the elevator and jammed the button that would lead her up to Lee's now vacant apartment, mumbling incoherently to voices only she could hear.With a creak the elevator ceased its upward climb and Leslie carefully surveyed her surroundings before grabbing Amanda's limp hands and forcing her body to follow her path.Police tape was ripped off of the walls and door, sending chips of paint flying through the air.The door was kicked in, splintering the frame and denting the wall behind.Used to unusual activity, no curious neighbors poked their heads out to see what the commotion was all about. 

Leslie forced Amanda onto the familiar couch, now covered with fingerprint dust and pieces of broken glass.A small bloodstain on the arm of the couch made the now semi-conscious Amanda shiver and she couldn't bring herself to steal a glance over at Lee's bedroom.Leslie went on a rampage, destroying everything that wasn't already in a shambles.

Then suddenly she stopped, her eyes fixating on a picture frame in front of her.Amanda rolled her head over to see what had stopped the tirade and gasped as she recognized the picture Leslie now madly clutched in her grasp.Billy had taken it in front of the agency to try out a new high zoom camera the agency had just obtained for its priority surveillance cases.She and Lee had comfortably moved close together and smiled for the camera.Lee had placed a copy in the Q Bureau and Amanda had noticed this copy briefly the other night before disaster struck.

Leslie swung around to face Amanda, blind rage evident in her eyes.Suddenly she hurled the picture at Amanda, the glass shattering against the back of the couch and raining down on her prone form. Amanda found that she feared a silent Leslie more than the babbling one.Leslie approached her slowly, each step foreshadowing her intent to kill Amanda, a small mirthless grin twisting the corner of her mouth into a snarl.Just as Leslie wrapped her hands around an almost unconscious Amanda's neck, a small click froze the scene.Leslie glanced up in horror and threw her hands up to her mouth as she muffled a scream.Amanda, confused and disoriented, tried her best to fight the impending darkness and listen to the action playing out around her.

"No, no--you're dead.I saw the bomb!"Leslie began, her pitch rising from a frightened whisper to a shout in a matter of seconds. She instinctively stepped backwards until her knees hit the back of the coffee table, nearly causing her to fall.

"As you can see my dear, I am very much alive.I must ask you--what are you doing?"Amanda cringed at the masculine voice that flowed from behind her.She had been relieved that Dzhugashvili was dead just so her ears would never be assaulted with his rich baritone again.

" I'm--I'm finishing it, Iosif.I want her gone!"Leslie sputtered in shock, wrapping her arms around herself in a protective gesture.

"But that is not the plan, Leslie.I'm beginning to think that you are a traitor."

" No!No, Iosif, I love you!"

"Ahh, but you also love, or at least loved, Mr. Stetson,"Dzhugashvili stated with an eerie assurance as he closed the distance between himself and Leslie.Even with blurring vision, Amanda recognized the outline of the barrel of a gun protruding from Dzhugashvili's massive hand.Its relentless aim was directed at Leslie and the reason for her fear became evident.Leslie's shocked gasp elicited a throaty laugh from Iosif.

"Did you forget that I had installed surveillance cameras in the room, Leslie?I heard your whole...dramatic account of the sordid details.How could you even think of betraying me?"Dzhugashvili growled, whipping the back of the gun across Leslie's cheek.She stumbled backwards and landed on the floor, scooting backwards to avoid his rage.

"I loved you, Iosif!But you never loved me like that!I wanted more, Leslie said, trembling. 

"You are not worthy of more.If not for me you would never have done what you have done, seen what you have seen!I knew that you enjoyed it, craved it," Iosif purred as he sensually stoked her swelling cheek with the gun."You were nothing more that someone to take the blame and grant me my freedom.Taking you to my bed was just an added bonus."

" You son of a..." Leslie screamed, lunging towards Iosif.Her words were cut short as Dzhugashvili fired the gun, hitting her square in the chest.Leslie fell to her knees, clutching her wound in shock, her eyes wide with horror and fear as she faced her own mortality in front of two people she now hated with a passion.

Amanda weakly turned her head away from the carnage, the recent events permanently burning themselves into her brain.She finally allowed herself to surrender to the darkness even as she sensed Dzhugashvili approach the couch.

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Lee once again found himself pacing the length of the Q Bureau.This time Billy had joined him as they anxiously awaited news from Francine.They both stopped and laughed sheepishly, if not happily, as they bumped into one another.Lee retreated to the repaired window and glanced at the street below where normal people were bustling about, rushing to get home from their "normal" jobs as the sun set.Billy leaned back against Lee's desk, keeping his eyes trained on the door.A shadowy figure appeared behind the frosted glass and the door handle turned, admitting a flustered Francine into the office.She held up a perfectly manicured hand to stop their onslaught of questions and only spoke once she was assured silence.

"Leslie's records are clean.There are no obvious places she would go.Her hotel room is--get this--at the Arlington Hilton, room 44."

"Oh my God,"Lee choked out." Amanda's family is in room 48."

" I know.I had a team sent over.They're okay, Lee--don't worry.Leslie's room turned up nothing useful either.There was a small wardrobe stashed in the closet and a few bottles of perfume on the dresser.It was very neat, like someone had taken great care to make it look as inconspicuous as possible."

" Dzhugashvili's work I'm sure,"Billy added

"There was some chemical residue on the dresser; we assume that it was part of a concoction used to drug Amanda in order to get her out of the apartment and make the switch with Karen.Nothing amazing about that.But...we just got wind of a police report upstairs.A woman called the police reporting shots fired next door.It's Lee's old apartment building."

"She's there.She went back to the scene of the crime!"Lee shouted, his hand already on the doorknob.

"Let's get over there," Billy said." Francine, get some backup over there and then follow behind us.Here,"Billy dug in his pocket and tossed his car keys at Francine." Take my car."Francine nodded and picked up the phone, her clicking heels echoing behind the retreating forms of the two male agents.

Chapter 20

Dzhugashvili studied Amanda's unmoving body carefully, noting the small rise and fall of her chest as her lungs took in air.A rush flowed through him as he imagined how easy cutting off that supply would be.He was so absorbed in his fantasies that he didn't hear the faint rustle behind him, nor hear the muted click of a gun being cocked.It was only when he tuned around to admire his latest murder that he was met face to face with Leslie's .35.

She held her injured body awkwardly, her glazed eyes making the scene all the more dire.Like a robot, she scuffled forward, her one mission to kill.Dzhugashvili whipped his own gun up and trained it on her.A standoff ensued.One adversary had everything to lose, the other had already lost everything she had dreamed of.A sudden involuntary muscle spasm from Leslie's dying body startled Dzhugashvili and he tensed his finger on the trigger ready to fire.Simultaneously the shots whistled through the air, instantly killing Dzhugashvili and dropping Leslie nearby.With her last breath of life she crawled over to Dzhugashvili and placed her head on his chest as their hearts beat their final note.

Lee was just getting out of the Corvette when he heard the shots.He momentarily froze as his heart plummeted to his stomach and traveled upwards again.Both agents rushed into the building, expecting the worst but clinging to hope.Lee quickly navigated over to the little-used stairwell in his building and bounded up, swinging around the corners with his gun drawn.Billy followed as fast as he could behind, amazed at the tireless fight Scarecrow exhibited.

Lee slowed as he reached the top, eyes scanning over the destroyed yellow barrier of tape resting on the ground.With a deep breath he cautiously walked into his apartment gun first and saw...nothing.He eased his agent stance in confusion and scanned the room for any hint of movement.He heard Billy mimic his actions from the doorway behind him.

Lee's eyes landed on a tip of a shoe peeking out from in front of the couch.Lee silently alerted Billy and they headed in opposite directions, one on either side of the couch.Lee was the first to spot the dead assailants and crouched down to check their pulse, shaking his head ruefully at Billy.He glanced over his shoulder at the couch and gasped at seeing Amanda lying there, unnoticed in their absorption with the gory scene before them.Billy's head jerked at Lee's exclamation and as his eyes lighted on Amanda's still form his jaw dropped open.

Lee reached a shaky hand over to her neck, half expecting to be hallucinating, half expecting her skin to be cold and lifeless.His eyes closed in relief as he felt a steady pulse under his fingertips.He gently rolled her over, tears filling his eyes as he took in her battered appearance.Behind him Billy clenched his jaw in barely concealed anger and concern, but let Lee have his privacy.He walked out of the room to intercept the backup that would soon be arriving.Running a hand over his face in exhaustion and relief he flashed a brief smile back at the reunion before heading outside.

Lee gently ran his thumb over her bruised cheek, softly calling her name.He buried his face in his hands, holding back sobs of anger and release.Amanda stirred beneath him, and he raised his head, clutching her hand tightly in his.

" Lee?"Amanda questioned fearfully, cringing against the battering that usually came from her utterance of his name.

"I'm here Amanda,"Lee responded, a smile breaking out on his tear-stained face.

"You're here?"she said in amazement as she struggled to clear her vision to see him.

" I'm here," he repeated " And I'm not going anywhere.It's over." 

"Hmm...Lee."She murmured contently, reaching up her free hand to cup his cheek.Lee leaned down, the insatiable urge to kiss her directing his lips closer to hers.She smiled and gazed half-lidded into his eyes, showing her acceptance of his actions.Suddenly a commotion from outside forced them apart as Francine and a team of paramedics bustled into the room.

' After all this time they couldn't have waited a few more minutes?'Lee and Amanda silently thought to themselves, each unaware of their similar line of thinking.Lee bent down and gently lifted Amanda up onto the waiting stretcher, never leaving her side as the paramedics wheeled her out of the room and down the stairs to the ambulance below.

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" Amanda, are you sure you're ready?"Lee questioned as he eyed her with concern.With a dislocated shoulder, 5 broken ribs, a concussion, and a menagerie of other injuries, Amanda had been forced to stay in the hospital for four weeks.Finally the agency doctor relented to her protests and signed the release papers, with orders for rest.

" I've never been more ready!If I never see the inside of a hospital room again it will be too soon," Amanda retorted with a twinkle in her eye.Lee had been hovering over her for the last four weeks, catering to her every need.Amanda appreciated the time he spent with her but at the same time she needed a break from his overprotective nature.The experience had made her think about a lot of things, one being their growing relationship, and she had a feeling that nothing would be exactly the same between them again. ' Not that I mind,' Amanda thought to herself, a silly grin adorning her now unmarred face.

Lee sighed and shrugged a grin on his face as well. " I tried!"he said." You know Amanda King, I think that you may just be a worse patient that I am."

" Oh, no.See--I stayed in the hospital," she teased. 

" Is that the difference?"Amanda nodded. " Oh well, I guess you're right then.I'm the bad patient."With a chuckle, Lee held out his hand and helped her off the bed that she had occupied for so long.He tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow and held her hand with his own.Slowly they moved out the door and along the corridors, mindful of Amanda's still sore body.

Once in the parking lot, Lee rushed to open the Corvette's door for her and helped her get comfortable before assuming his position in the driver's seat.He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, heading towards Amanda's house.

"This isn't the way to the agency," Amanda noted after a few minutes.

" I know," Lee said mysteriously.

"Lee?"Amanda prodded curiously. 

" I have a surprise for you."Lee turned towards her and winked. 

" Now close your eyes," he said as they turned the corner that would lead him to 4247 Maplewood Drive.Amanda reluctantly complied, a good-natured smile gracing her lips.She had never thought it could feel so good to smile and just...be.The car came to a stop and she fought the instinct to open her eyes as she heard Lee exit the car.He opened her door and took her arm, steering her out of the car.

" Okay, open them," Lee said with barely concealed excitement.

Amanda gasped as she looked at her home.The house had been completely repaired and looked exactly as it had before the bombing.A new coat of white paint glistened on the wood and even the fence in front had a new shiny coat adorning it. 

" How...?" Amanda questioned, stunned.She had counted on being forced to move or stay in a hotel while the extensive damaged was repaired.

" I had a friend who owed me a favor--he started on it the day after you were admitted to the hospital," Lee beamed proudly.

"Oh, Lee,"Amanda said.Her eyes landed on new door, which was slowly opening and she gasped." Lee, Mother and the boys..."

"It's okay.I've met them already," Lee assured her.

" Do they know?"Amanda questioned in shock.

" They know who I am but not what we do."Lee's face sobered. " I was the one that told them that you were in a car accident.Then later on I told them that the police had made a mistake, that your car had been stolen and you were in the hospital all this time with amnesia."

"And she bought it?"Amanda said, trying to lighten the mood.It worked and Lee let out a loud laugh even as Philip and Jamie raced down the steps towards their mother followed close behind by Dotty.Amanda welcomed them with open arms, ignoring her sore ribs as the boys showered her with bear hugs.Lee stepped aside, somewhat jealous that he was not a part of this family until he caught Amanda's reassuring eyes.He winked at her in amusement as Dotty babbled on and on in the fashion he had become accustomed to from Amanda's ramblings.

As they made their way towards the house Amanda glanced back at the hesitant Lee and motioned with her head for him to join them.He briefly thought about it then closed the Corvette's door with an exuberant bang and started up the walk.He had a feeling that this was just the beginning of a whole new life for him.

The End (or the beginning?)

Authors End Notes:

Thanks for taking the time to read this!If you enjoyed it I am working on a sequel currently whenever real life hands me a break so I can write. :-D

I would also like to thank my beta, Becky once again.This is the product of months of work (began Oct. 2000) and her editing skills and insight have helped this be the best it possibly could be.


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